Down for the Count
by KooKoo 4 Kaiba
Summary: In the middle of an especially harsh winter, Donatello contracts a terrible illness, and an old enemy makes a sudden reappearance. Now complete!
1. Chapter 1

I've always had a love/hate relationship with writing multi-chapter stories. I love reading them, but writing them is just so stressful! I want to be able to write good ones, though, or at least fairly decent ones, so I thought I'd try again. I've been working ahead, so I actually have everything planned out! This chapter is here just to set the stage, so nothing major happens in it. It's also kinda short-ish, but don't worry! The chapters will get longer. This isn't just me spouting off nonsense (ok...maybe some of it is, but that's against the point!); they really do get longer - if only by a couple hundred words. Anyway, please enjoy the story! :D

Warnings: Honestly, none! There is no slash or cussing, and the violence is like a kiddie cartoon. I think, at least. Oh, wait! There is a warning: Raph uses bad grammar. I'm sorry; I couldn't stop it! Please forgive me... XD

Disclaimer: I do not own _TMNT_, _Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus_, _Transformers_, or any of the copyrighted or trademarked material I have used in this story.

* * *

In the bleak midwinter months, there isn't much to do, especially when you live underground in an old, abandoned part of the New York sewers. It's enough of a struggle to just keep yourself warm, let alone worry about your family's heating problems; and the Hamato family definitely had more than enough of those. Since the family was mainly comprised of turtles, things were especially difficult. Turtles, like all other reptiles, were very susceptible to the cold. Even though the four brothers were larger than most turtles, they were still affected by the harsh winter weather.

Donatello had been working very hard to make things more comfortable for everyone, though. He had labored for months in advance to fix their heating appliances and provide ways of keeping them all warm. His work had paid off, and his family was fairly comfortable this winter. It made him shudder to think of the previous winters when they didn't have such advanced technology.

This winter was especially harsh, and because of it none of the turtles had gone to the surface in a good while. They knew well enough by now not to take their weakness to the low temperatures lightly; such actions had blown up in their faces more than once. They still conducted their daily training sessions, but they did not monitor crime above ground as they usually did. The news channel was on more often than not, though.

That is, until Michelangelo took control over the television, like he had just a few moments ago. Not all of his brothers appreciated the sheer awesomeness of cartoons, so he had to be fast when he saw that the TV was unoccupied, which was a very small time slot indeed. So he lounged on the couch, watching TV, eating potato chips, reading comics, and simply enjoying the glorious pastime know as "_doing nothing_."

Raphael was not as easy to please. He hated being stuck in the sewers for such a long period of time. In fact, he hated being stuck anywhere at all for even a small amount of time. To be honest, not much entertained Raph. The list was short enough that you could count it on your hands, but only a fraction of it was allowed in the Hamato household. At the moment, he was taking his frustration out on his punching bag, his ever faithful companion; but he had done this for the past hour. He had also done the same yesterday and the day before that. Quite frankly, he was getting sick of it. Out of all his brothers, he was the one who had the most trouble being stuck underground.

Leonardo was not as irritable as Raph. That wasn't saying much, but it was still a fact. He was generally happy simply practicing kata or meditating with his father. If asked, though, Leo would have to admit that even he was getting pretty bored with the current circumstances. It was like every day was a routine. He would get up, do the same things he had done the previous day, and go to bed. Then he'd do it all over again. It wasn't like he was asking for a major showdown with the Foot or anything really crazy; he just wanted a little bit of excitement, that's all.

Donatello was perhaps the only one who was even remotely pleased with the still calm that had descended upon the lair. It meant that he could get more done. In his usually eventful and unpredictable life, he didn't have as much time as he would like to simply work on his machines and invent new things. That's not to say that he didn't have to spend time doing other activities, like fixing things that his brothers had broken, because he did, but he personally enjoyed the downtime that the winter weather had brought.

It didn't take long for Raphael to finally tire of his punching bag. As loyal as it was to him, he could leave it whenever he wanted. It was a relationship where only one benefited, and it wasn't the punching bag.

Walking to the TV room, Raphael spotted his lazy younger brother on the couch. It never ceased to amaze (and disgust) him how many potato chips Mikey could eat while spilling the same amount all over the floor. Not only was it a waste of their precious food, but it also made things worse when it was his turn to clean up the living room. _A_ _lot_ _worse_.

Mikey finally turned his attention away from his entertainment sources long enough to discover that Raphael was there. He smiled up at his brother. "Whatcha doin', Raphie?" he asked.

"Nothin', just watchin' your disgustin' eating habits," Raph replied.

"Hey, I'm multitasking! I'd like to see you watch TV and read comics at the same time. Besides, I'm bored...and hungry."

"You're still hungry after eatin' all those chips?"

"Well, yeah."

"I don't know why I'm surprised."

"Neither do I," Leo commented as he walked into the room.

"Hey, Leo. Can we get a pizza?" Mikey asked. "I'm _so_ hungry!"

"I don't know if the pizza guy will deliver it since the weather's so bad," Leo replied.

"But he has to! We pay him an extra five bucks," Mikey whined.

"Alright, I'll call him, but I can't make any guarantees," Leo said.

True to his word, Leo called the pizza place. It turned out that the pizza man could deliver the much desired food to the usual drop off point: the nearest manhole. Leo ordered three pizzas; there was never any way to tell how much his brothers would eat. Then he left to wait for it.

Waiting for Leo to come back to the lair was extremely boring; Michelangelo and Raphael would attest to that, though Raph wouldn't say so as eagerly as his younger brother. Even worse, however, were Mikey's propositions as to what they should do while they waited for him to return. At first, the two had settled with just playing their own rendition of two-player Uno, but they had both gotten bored of that soon after they had started. Now Mikey was coming up with new ideas for games that were less than appealing to Raphael.

"I shall read your fortune," Mikey said in an ominous tone, a devilish smile on his face.

Raph was unsettled at the creepy face that his brother was making, but he didn't show it; well, at least he tried. "Um, no."

"Oh, come on, Raphie! Just pick three cards, any three cards," Mikey pleaded as he fanned out as many Uno cards as he could hold in his hand.

Raph sighed. It couldn't be _that_ bad, could it? However bad it was, it couldn't be any worse than listening to Mikey whine about it. "Alright, read my stupid fortune," Raph said as he picked three cards and set them out in front of his brother. He had picked a green six, a yellow seven, and a blue skip card.

"Cool!" Mikey exclaimed. "Ok, um...uh...um..."

Raph stared at his brother with a deadpan expression. "I thought you were gonna read my fortune."

"I know! I'm trying, but for some weird reason, when I look at the green six, I keep on thinking about bananas."

"...So when ya see a green six, you jus' think about bananas?"

Mikey snickered. When he listened to Raph say it, it sounded so much more ridiculous. "Um, yeah?"

"Ugh, this is just stupid. Alright, do the next card."

"Uh, ok. The yellow seven means that you...value yellow objects? And you're seven years old? No, that doesn't make any sense! You're not seven."

Raph chuckled a bit; his brother had missed his calling. "And the last one?"

"Ok, the blue means that you go with the flow, but the skip means that...you won't today?"

Raph just shook his head a snickered. "Mikey, you should never be a fortune teller. Ever."

"Aw, it was that bad?"

"Yup."

"Darn! Ok, you do mine!"

"No!"

It took the pizza man a while to get there (far too long, in Raph's opinion), and when he did, Leo stealthily gave him his money and took the pizzas. It was almost like a routine they had worked out, except it still freaked the pizza man out more than he liked to admit.

When Leo returned with the pizzas, he set them down on the table so that everyone could help themselves. Though he had only been out of the lair for a little while, the cold had already taken its toll on him. "Man, it's freezing out there!" he exclaimed to his brothers, who were eagerly piling slices of pizza onto their plates.

"No kidding," Mikey said as he took his fourth piece of pizza before finally sitting down at the table.

"Where's Don?" asked Leo.

"I dunno. He's probably in his lab," Mikey answered with a mouth full of food.

Leo grimaced. "Thanks. Shouldn't someone go tell him that we got dinner?"

No one answered; they were too busy gorging themselves on pizza.

"Don't everybody get up at once," Leo said sarcastically. He left the kitchen and made his way to Don's laboratory. He knocked on the door a few times before opening it and entering the room. When there was no response from his brother, Leo thought that he had interrupted an important experiment. Upon further examination, though, he found that Donatello was simply staring off into space with a strange expression on his face. Leo walked over to his younger brother and waved his hand in front of his face. "Donnie? You in there?"

Don came back to reality when he heard his eldest brother's voice. "Hey, Leo! Sorry about that. I spaced out for a while there," Don apologized as he smiled sheepishly. "Is there something you wanted?"

"No, I just came to tell you that we got pizza. You should come and get some."

"Oh, ok," Don said as he stood up. He followed his older brother to the kitchen, where his two other brothers had already finished off one of the pizzas.

Leo and Don sat down at the table. Leo reached for a slice, but Don just sat there silently. Leo noticed and asked, "Aren't you going to have some?"

Don smiled back at him. "No, I'm not really hungry right now."

Leo looked uncertain. "Are you sure? Do you feel alright?"

"Yeah. Never better," Don replied.

Leo wasn't convinced, but he let it slide for the moment. He knew that if something was really bothering Don, he would tell him when he was ready.

It didn't take long for everyone to eat their fill. Once they were all done and had put up their plates, Mikey suggested that they watch a movie.

"What kind of movie?" asked Raph.

"_Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus_!" Mikey exclaimed.

Everyone groaned.

"No?" Mikey asked, inferring from his brothers' less than positive responses that the movie wouldn't be a good one to watch. "What about _Mega Python vs. Gatoroid_?"

"No!" Raph snapped. "I ain't watchin' none of that."

"Fine. What about _Transformers_? You know, to celebrate the greatness of Michael Bay?"

"I'm not sure if I'd call it _greatness_, but whatever," said Raph. "_Transformers_ sounds good to me."

"Yeah, we can watch that. What do you think, Donnie?" Leo asked.

"I don't care," Don replied tiredly.

"Alright, _Transformers_ it is then!"

The turtles all made their way to the living room and sat down on the couch. It was then that they realized that the movie was not in and the television remote was about ten feet away.

"Ok, who wants to set up the movie?" Raph asked, clearly implying that he wasn't going to do it.

"Not I!" Leo called.

"Not me!" Mikey exclaimed. "Ok, Don, that means that you have to do it."

Don just sat there.

"Come on, don't be lazy."

"Wow, that's amazin' comin' from you," Raph quipped. "Why don't _you_ just set it up? It was your idea to watch a movie anyway."

"Fine, be that way." Mikey stuck out his tongue but stood up from the couch. In his family it always fell to him, the youngest, to set up the movie. Why? The world may never know, but Mikey had his own fair share of theories about unfair hierarchies.

After the movie was set up, the turtles watched the events play out on the screen. After about a hundred explosions had been witnessed, the movie was over and Mikey turned off the TV.

"Ah, there's nothing like a good late-night movie," he said as he stretched.

"Yup," Raph said.

"Well, I'm ready to go to bed. What about you, Don?" Leo asked as he looked down at his younger brother. He got his answer, but not in the way he was expecting; Don had fallen fast asleep.

Mikey looked over too and saw Don sleeping. "Oh, this is perfect! Raph, go get the markers. I have an awesome idea of what to draw on his face!" he exclaimed, positively giddy.

Raph groaned. "No. Why can't ya ever let anyone sleep in peace?"

"Because that's just no fun. How did he fall asleep anyway?" Mikey asked. "I mean, how can you fall asleep during a movie with explosions? _Explosions_, Raph!"

"He was prob'ly jus' so tired from stayin' up late on his projects or somethin'," Raph suggested.

"Yeah, probably," Leo muttered under his breath, but he wasn't sure. He just didn't have a good feeling about it.

And when Leo didn't have a good feeling, that meant trouble.

* * *

The next chapter should be up in a couple of days, so stay tuned, 'kay? Thank you for reading!

P.S. Sorry, I couldn't help putting in that comment about Michael Bay! XD


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, everyone! First off, I'd like to thank _xTMNTx_, _nim draug, Who am I. Well. I'm just Me, dondena, _and _Heather_ for reviewing. You guys really made my day and inspired me to work even harder on my story! I really can't believe the great response that the first chapter of this story got. Now I invite all of you to read the second installment. I hope that it doesn't disappoint! Please enjoy. :)

Disclaimer: 99.9999999999999% of the population will never read this, so I don't see why I'm forced to do it. I do not own TMNT.

* * *

The next day, the four turtles found themselves sparring in the dojo. Michelangelo was fighting against Donatello while Raphael faced off against Leonardo. They had been practicing their skills for many hours now and were growing weary from the physical and mental exertion. Their muscles burned terribly, but they forced themselves onward. Master Splinter watched as his sons fought each other halfheartedly. He frowned. The four weren't putting their all into their lesson and were making simple mistakes he would not usually expect from them.

_"Perhaps I should not push them so hard,"_ thought Master Splinter. _"After all, they are bound to become more sluggish during the winter. However, I do not wish for them to become lazy."_

After finally coming to a conclusion, Master Splinter signaled for a pause in the lesson. His sons, as soon as they noticed the signal, halted and stood at attention. "I will allow you all to have a five-minute water break. Please use your time wisely. After you have rested, we will resume our training. Leonardo will fight Donatello and Raphael will fight Michelangelo," Master Splinter informed them.

"_Hai_, Sensei," the turtles said in unison before rushing for their water.

Master Splinter quietly observed as his sons regained their breath and quenched their thirst. They were all obviously quite exhausted, but Donatello seemed to be struggling the most. Master Splinter had noticed this throughout the turtles' lesson that day. Don usually fought at the same level as his brothers, but today he had been below par. He had stumbled a bit during kata practice, he had yet to win a single sparring match, and Master Splinter thought that he had even been falling asleep during meditation. This greatly worried the old father, but he decided that Donatello was just having an off day; they all had them from time to time.

"Hey, Donnie, can you breathe alright?" Michelangelo joked with his immediate older brother, who was still panting heavily.

It took Donatello a while to respond to his brother's question. When he did, he seemed a bit out of it. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine."

Mikey noticed his brother's strange behavior and asked, "You sure?"

Don, still panting, gasped, "Yeah, never better."

Leo, who was listening to the conversation (he wasn't eavesdropping, honestly!), thought that those words, which failed to reassure him, seemed strangely familiar.

The five minutes were over sooner than the turtles had anticipated, and they were once again forced to return to their training. The brothers took their places and waited for their father to signal the matches. When he did, they fought each other with a renewed strength. Michelangelo evaded Raphael's advances in his usual style as Raph doled out his predictable attacks. Donatello, who wasn't as energized as his brothers were after the break, was not faring so well. Leonardo kept forcing him further and further back, and there was nothing that he could do about it; he was just so exhausted. It felt like he had been completely drained of all his energy. He barely had the strength to hold his bo up, let alone ward off his brother's attacks. He knew that he would go down even before they had even started.

And so he did. Leonardo easily pushed him to the ground after just a minute or so of fighting. As humiliating as it was to lose so easily, Donatello couldn't bring himself to care that much; he simply didn't have the energy. All he wanted at that moment was a nice, soft pillow and a cozy place to lie down. Lost in his thoughts, it took Donatello a while to realize that his brother was talking to him.

"Don? Donnie? Donatello!" Leo called out. "Are you alright?"

Don looked up slowly at his elder brother. For some strange reason, his eyes wouldn't focus properly, but even with his blurry vision he could see the concerned expression on Leo's face. He felt bad that he had caused his brother to worry. He knew that he had done poorly. Maybe if he could just have another five minutes to rest, he would be able to spar correctly. He would only ask for five minutes.

He was about to say so when his brother interrupted by saying, "You don't look too good. Are you sure you're alright?" He held out his hand to touch Don's forehead. "You feel a little hot."

"That's just because I've been working so hard," Don reasoned, but his breathing was still very heavy. "I really am ok. I'll be fine if I can just rest for a few more minutes."

Leo wanted to slap himself; _of course_ Don would be hot from exercising. However, he frowned as he got a good look at his younger brother. Don's face seemed flushed, and though Leo knew it could also be linked to exercising, he couldn't help but think that it seemed like something more. His eyes were another worrying factor. At first, Leo had thought that they were focused on him, but now it seemed as though they weren't looking at anything, like he wasn't even there. He also thought that Don was breathing harder than he should have been. _"I don't think a few minutes are going to cut it,"_ he thought.

Then he noticed something else. "Don, you're shaking."

Only half-listening to what his brother was saying, Don replied, "Yeah, it's just because I...I've been exerting myself."

"Then perhaps you should rest," Master Splinter suggested. He didn't like pallid color that his son's skin was turning. Neither did Mikey and Raph, who had stopped fighting each other almost as soon as Don had fallen to the ground.

"No, I'm fine, Master," Don protested between his gasps for air. "I'll be alright if I can just rest for five more minutes."

"No, my son. You should rest for now. In fact, I believe that you ought to do so for the rest of the day as well. Leonardo, please help your brother to his room," Master Splinter instructed.

Leo nodded and pulled Don to his feet. Once he was upright, Don began to sway and only stopped himself from toppling over by grasping onto the rim of his brother's shell.

Don gave a small smile. "Sorry, I lost my balance for a little while there."

Leo was becoming more concerned by the minute. If Don, who was usually able to stand on one foot for hours on end, couldn't keep his balance, then something was definitely wrong. Giving his thoroughly concerned father and brothers one last glance, Leo helped Don walk out of the dojo.

To his great surprise, Leo didn't hear one word of protest from his younger brother as he half-supported and half-carried him to his room. When he wasn't feeling well, Don would usually fuss and say that he was alright and could walk by himself, even though he obviously couldn't. Leo knew that he really had to not be feeling well in order to be this cooperative.

When the two reached Don's room, Leo opened the door and helped his brother inside. Donatello's room was fairly small and plain. He didn't need much space here, since he had the lab to keep most of his possessions in. In fact, when they had all moved, Don had insisted that he be given the smallest room for sleeping in. However, the tiny space made the room seem very crowded, even though there wasn't much in it. The only real pieces of furniture were his bed, a chair and desk, and two small bookshelves that sat on either side of the bed and were short enough to put things on. What really made the room seem cluttered, though, were the papers which were scattered all over the place. When Donatello got ideas, he just had to write them down, lest he forget them. Each paper could contain anything from part of an important blueprint or equation to just a silly doodle. Leonardo had gotten the two mixed up once and had thrown some of the papers out; he would never forget the look on Don's face.

After helping Donatello to his bed, Leo pulled back the covers and helped him to lie down. "Alright, Don, get some rest," he said.

Don feebly nodded. "Ok, Leo."

Leonardo tucked Don in, something he had not done in a very long time, and turned off the light. After one last look at his brother, who had already closed his eyes and was tightly curled up in a ball, he left the room and closed the door quietly behind him, hoping that his brother would get some much needed rest.

* * *

"How do you think Donnie's feeling?" Mikey asked Raph, who was sitting across from him at the kitchen table.

"My guess? Not too good," answered Raph. "I mean, you saw how he looked when Leo carried 'im off."

Practice had ended immediately after the whole incident. No one had seen Don since Leo had taken him to his room to rest, which had been hours ago. They were all immensely worried; they knew how ill Donatello could get from the years when they were younger. They just hoped that it wasn't going to get that bad this time.

"He seemed so exhausted," commented Leo, who was leaning against the counter. "I mean, I don't see him _that_ tired even after he stays up for days on one of his projects."

"Do you think he's sleeping?" asked Mikey.

"It sure looked that way when I left him," Leo replied.

"Weird," said Raph. "We usually would've dragged him away from the computer at least twice by now."

"Yeah. Maybe we should make something for him," suggested Mikey. "I bet he's probably hungry by now. I know I am!"

Raph snickered. "You're always hungry," he pointed out.

"It's a good idea, though," Leo admitted. "I'll make him some soup."

Mikey laughed nervously. "Um, Leo, no offense, but I think that _I_ should make the soup. I don't think any of us have forgotten the last time you tried to cook something more advanced than a hotdog."

Leo frowned but took his little brother's advice. He knew Mikey was right; he really wasn't much of a cook. Besides, Mikey made the best soup any of them had ever tasted. In fact, he could cook just about anything and make it taste absolutely delicious.

While Michelangelo prepared the soup, Leo went to look through the medicine cabinets for something that would help Don feel a bit better. Though he was no medical expert, Leo knew what to look for when it came to things like a fever or a small cold. He took a few different pill bottles out, since he didn't yet know exactly what Don would need, and closed the cabinets.

Back in the kitchen, Mikey had finished preparing the soup and was now waiting for it to finish cooking, which would take quite a while. Leo joined them and suggested that they do something while they waited. Mikey instantly suggested cards, much to Raph's annoyance, but the brothers commenced a game of three-player Uno – this time without fortune telling.

Mikey seemed to win almost every time, mostly due to the fact that he got all the wild cards. Raph accused that he had to be cheating somehow and insisted that someone else shuffle. Even though he got his wish, Michelangelo won the next round as well.

"Haha! I told you, Raph; I was just born lucky," Mikey giggled, a winning grin plastered on his face.

"Ah, whatever," Raph grumbled.

"Hey, Mikey, is that soup done yet?" Leo asked just a second before the timer went off.

"Wow, Leo! Nice timing," Mikey exclaimed as he stood up and checked on the soup. "Yup, it's done. It looks pretty good too, if I do say so myself."

After Mikey poured some of the soup into a bowl and set it out on a tray along with utensils, a glass of water, and some of the medicine that had been set out by his eldest brother, Leo picked up the tray and took it to Donatello's room. Deftly balancing the tray on one hand, Leo opened the door and turned on the light. Don was still in bed, sleeping peacefully. Leo was surprised by this. When Don was under the weather, he usually didn't stay in bed for long like he was supposed to. In fact, Leo had expected him to be awake by now. The fact that he was still in bed and actually _sleeping_ meant that Don had to be extremely tired. This didn't make Leo feel much better about the situation, but he was glad that his brother was able to get some rest.

_"I wonder if I should wake him,"_ thought Leo.

He soon lost the ability to choose, however; Don opened his eyes slowly and looked up at his brother, who was still standing in the doorway. "Oh, hey, Leo," he greeted tiredly. "How long was I out?"

"Just few hours," Leo replied as he closed the door behind him with his foot and walked over to his brother. He sat down on the bed and set the tray on one of the bookshelves. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright," Don answered.

Leo wasn't entirely sure how to interpret that response, but he tried to see it in a positive light. "Well, Mikey made soup and I brought you some."

"Thank you."

Don sat up and Leo propped up his pillow for him. Don sat back against it while Leo moved the tray to his lap and handed him the bowl of soup. Don nodded his head to thank him and started to eat. Leo watched as his little brother ate eagerly at first but quickly started to slow down. The bowl was barely halfway done when he stopped.

"Are you done?" Leo asked. "Was the soup alright?"

"Oh, yeah, the soup was really good. I'm just not hungry anymore," Don answered.

Leo frowned; they were all usually asking for thirds when Mikey made soup. Leo took the bowl from Don's hands and set the tray back on the bookshelf. He then leaned across the bed and pressed his lips to his brother's forehead. It was hot.

"As I thought," Leo said as he leaned back and sat upright again. "You have a fever."

"I do?" Don asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Yes. I should have taken your temperature before giving you the soup. You'll have to remind me later."

"But I feel fine."

"Come on, Don, don't play that game with me. You weren't feeling well and didn't tell us. Why?"

Don looked down at the sheets of his bed. "I didn't want you guys to worry. Besides, I didn't feel that bad."

"_Didn't_? What about now?"

"I'm fine."

Leo sighed. As always, Don's answers became ambiguous when it came to his health. "I'm not sure that I believe you."

Don opened his mouth to answer him, but he cut himself of by erupting into an intense coughing fit. Instantly alert, Leo reached over, trying to comfort his brother. "Come on, Donnie, deep breaths," he said.

It was easier said than done, but Don tried and his coughing eventually subsided. Leo reached over for the glass of water and gave it to him. Don gratefully took it and greedily gulped it down.

"Are you alright now?" Leo asked cautiously.

"Yeah, I'm alright," Don replied, even though he knew that he wouldn't fool his brother now. He wasn't sure he had the energy to come up with a more convincing reply anyway; all that coughing had made him tired again.

Leo grabbed one of the bottles of medicine, opened it, and took out a couple of pills. "Here," he said, handing them to Don. "Take these."

Don accepted and swallowed them with one last gulp of water. "Thank you," he said as he handed the glass back to his older brother.

Leo took the glass. He could now see how exhausted Don was and knew that the best thing for him now was more sleep. He pulled the pillow back down so that it rested against the mattress and helped his brother to lie down again. "Get some more rest, ok, Donnie?"

Don nodded slowly and closed his eyes again. Leo put the glass on the tray and stood up. Tray in hand, he exited the room. His two other brothers were eagerly waiting for him outside. After closing the door, he turned to face them.

"Well...how is he?" asked Mikey.

Leo sighed. "He's alright for now," he said, "but..."

Mikey frowned. "Oh no! Why is there a _but_? That's never good."

Leo didn't answer for a while. Raph narrowed his eyes. "Jus' spit it out already!"

"Yeah, stop freaking us out by keeping us in the dark! It's really not helping us feel better," Mikey protested.

"What he said," Raph echoed.

Leo looked them each in the eye. "He's going to get a lot worse."

* * *

Ok, who else besides me wants to laugh at the image of Leo slapping himself? XD

Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

What Don does while playing video games is totally based on something that I did when I was sick! My older sister got so frustrated with me; it was pretty hilarious. Also, I used a few Japanese words in this chapter. I am learning Japanese myself, so I thought it'd be cool to include some of the words I know, since Master Splinter is Japanese and probably taught the language to his sons. At the end of the story, I've put translations in case you don't know what they mean. Anyway, please enjoy the story! :)

Thanks so much to _Who am I. Well. I'm just Me_, _dondena_, _Margui_,_ xTMNTx_,_ oj-angel1573_, and_ Heather_ for reviewing! I'd also like to say thanks to all you wonderful people who have added this story to favorites or alerts as well. :)

Disclaimer: In case you're wondering (but you probably aren't), no, I don't own TMNT, Sonic Unleashed, or Star Wars.

* * *

The next day at breakfast, all of the turtles sat down at the kitchen table – that is, all the turtles except Donatello. He had been sleeping soundly since the day before and wasn't showing signs of getting up yet. Though they wouldn't have had it any other way, at the same time his brothers also wished that he would get up soon so that they could see him and make sure that he was alright. However, for the moment, the three of them just sat in silence at the table. No one could think of anything to say, so they just said nothing at all.

Leo sighed and decided that it had been quiet for long enough. "I hope he's alright," he thought out loud, breaking the silence.

Raph nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah."

Mikey looked forlornly at his brothers. He hated the dull atmosphere that was surrounding the lair, but for the first time in his life, he couldn't think of anything to do to cheer everyone up. He desperately racked his brain for a joke to lighten things up, but none came to him. He sighed. Maybe he was losing his touch.

At that moment, Master Splinter entered the kitchen. "_Ohayo_," he greeted.

"_Ohayo gozaimasu_," his sons answered.

"How are you today, my sons?" asked Master Splinter.

"I'm feeling well," Leo answered.

"Well, my stomach's been grumbling a lot," Mikey said, "but - ow!"

Raph smirked as he put his hand back down. "I'm fine," he added.

"Me too," said Mikey, pouting and rubbing the back of his head where Raph had smacked him. Though it throbbed, he was glad that the air was becoming lighter.

Splinter smiled. "That is good. I would not wish for you to become ill as well. It is very important to remain in good health, especially now."

Their short conversation had just come to an end when they all heard a door opening and then closing. Then the sound of slow footsteps reached their ears. Don was awake. Mikey shared a glance with Raph. Neither of them had seen Donnie since what had happened during practice the previous day. They could only hope that he was better off now than he had been then.

Their hopes came crashing down, though, when he entered the kitchen and they got a good look at him. He was pale and sickly looking, like he had been trapped in a small box for a year. His skin was such a different color from what it usually was that Mikey thought it looked like he had gotten a skin transplant - if that was even possible. His face was still flushed; Leo figured that the medicine had probably worn off – if it had ever worked at all. Don shivered spasmodically as he slowly approached the kitchen table. Leo quickly stood up and pulled out a chair for him.

"Thank you," Don said in a harsh, croaky voice before coughing and trying to clear it. "Thank you," he said again but this time with his voice sounding a bit more normal. He sat down in the chair his brother had graciously provided for him.

His brothers exchanged worried glances before Master Splinter said in a concerned tone, "My son, how do you feel?"

Don smiled up at his father and responded, "I'm alright. I really wish that you all would stop asking that, though."

"Well, it's not exactly like we can help it," Mikey said.

"Yeah. Have ya looked in a mirror recently?" Raph asked.

Don smiled a bit at this. "Sorry to disappoint."

"Raphie, stop being mean to Donnie!" Mikey ordered in a tone that was anything but serious. "It's not like he can help it. Anyway, who's hungry? I know I am!"

Leo and Raph nodded vigorously while Master Splinter politely said, "Yes, please."

"What about you, Donnie? Do you want anything to eat?" Mikey asked.

Don shook his head. "No, thank you."

"You sure?"

"Uh-huh," Don replied, nodding his head.

"Ok then," Mikey said. "Breakfast for four coming right up!"

Donatello closed his eyes sleepily and rested his head on his arms, which were crossed on the table.

"If you're still tired, you can go back to bed," Leo told his younger brother.

"I'm fine," Don murmured without opening his eyes.

Leo made a face; he was getting sick of that response. He got up from his seat and left the room to go find a thermometer. He searched the medicine cabinets again and found it underneath a pile of other miscellaneous things. He then returned to the kitchen. He hummed in delight as the delicious scents from Mikey's bacon and eggs reached his nose. He wouldn't let himself be distracted, though. "Hey, Donnie, I need to take your temperature," Leo said as he gently shook his brother.

"No," Don groaned.

"Come on, it'll be over before you know it," Leo tried to persuade him.

"No!" Don protested. His voice was a strange mixture of high-pitched whining and croaking.

"Do it, or I'll make you," Raph intervened, a hint of warning in his voice.

Leo nodded in appreciation to his hotheaded brother. Don opened one eye. "Fine," he said as he drowsily took the thermometer and put it under his tongue.

Leo waited until the thermometer made a beeping noise. When he heard it, he took the device out of his brother's mouth and studied what it said. "Yeah, you've got a fever. It's pretty high," he informed his little brother. "Sorry, Donnie."

Don groaned and let his head rest on his arms again. "It's ok."

Master Splinter looked at his poor son sympathetically. "There will be no training today for any of you," he said. "It is imperative that the rest of you remain in good health."

"Thank you, Sensei," Leo said. He got some pills to reduce his brother's fever and handed them to Don, who swallowed them. After making sure that Don was comfortable, Leo petted his brother's head and sat back down in his chair.

"Well, breakfast is ready!" Mikey exclaimed cheerily, trying to keep everyone's spirits up. He set plates of eggs and bacon in front of those who had ordered it and in his own place. Then he sat down and tried to enjoy his meal.

After the four finished eating and put up their plates, Mikey said, "Hey, Donnie, do ya want to play a video game? You could rest on the couch and stuff."

Don opened his eyes and gave Mikey as small smile. "Sure," he said. He was feeling a bit better now that the medicine was starting to kick in. "I don't have anything better to do anyway."

As Don slowly stood up, Mikey ran to the closet and grabbed some extra pillows and blankets. Then he headed to the living room, where Don was waiting for him. He set the pillows down at the very end of the couch and dumped the blankets there too.

"Thank you," said Don as he lied down on the couch and covered himself with one of the blankets; he set the other ones on the floor.

"No problem! So what do you want to play?" Mikey asked.

"I don't care," Don replied. "Why don't you pick?"

"Ok. Let's play something we haven't done in a while. What about Sonic Unleashed? We could start a new game," Mikey suggested.

"Isn't that one-player?"

"Yeah, but we could take turns on the levels. I'll even let you go first."

Don knew how much Mikey was sacrificing; he usually just _had_ to be the one to play first. Don couldn't have refused the offer even if he wanted to, which he most certainly didn't. "Ok, we can play that."

"Sweet!" Mikey exclaimed as he rummaged through their cabinet full of games. He finally found the one he was looking for and pulled it out. He took the disc out of the case and inserted it into the game console. Then he turned the TV on and handed Don the game controller.

"Thank you," Don said again.

"No problem, bro," Mikey said, grinning at him.

After setting up the game and watching the intro, Don finished the first level quickly. He then handed the controller to his brother, who started the next level.

"Mikey, hit the triangle button; you can skate on the rings," Don said.

"I can't. We restarted the game and haven't unlocked it yet. Remember?" Mikey corrected.

"Oh, yeah, right."

Mikey finished his level pretty quickly as well and then handed the controller back to his older brother.

Halfway through the level, Don asked in exasperation, "Why can't I skate on these stupid rings?"

"Um...you're a were-hog."

"Oh, yeah. I knew that."

They took turns playing for quite a while and soon got to the harder levels. Mikey was having a bit of trouble with a certain one and couldn't get past it.

"Mikey, you should skate on the rings," Don suggested.

"Dude, I told you; we haven't unlocked it yet."

"Oh, yeah, sorry."

But when Mikey lost yet another life, Don asked in a frustrated tone, "Why aren't you skating on the rings?"

Mikey laughed. "We haven't unlocked it yet!"

"Oh, right. You told me that before, didn't you? Why do I keep on forgetting that?"

"I dunno. It's pretty funny, though."

When Don asked yet again after just a few minutes why Mikey wasn't skating on the rings, though, Mikey was concerned, mostly because Don was being dead serious. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked. "Because you're _really_ not acting like yourself."

Don laughed a bit. "I know. My brain just isn't working right now."

"That's an understatement. Are you sure you want to keep playing?"

"Actually, I'm getting kind of tired. Could we watch a movie or something instead?"

"Yeah, sure. It's probably getting pretty late anyway; we've been playing for a while. I'll go get the guys and see if they want to watch too." Mikey rallied their brothers as quickly as he could and brought them back to the TV room. "So, Donnie, what do you want to watch?" he asked.

"_Star Wars_?" Don asked hopefully.

Mikey grinned widely. "Awesome idea! We can watch a marathon! I'll make the popcorn."

Raph and Leo had to stop themselves from groaning. They liked _Star Wars _alright, but they weren't sure if they wanted to watch a whole over-ten-hours-long marathon of it. If Don wanted to, though, they wouldn't object.

After the popcorn had been popped, everyone sat down to watch _Star Wars_. They laughed and did commentary on some of the funny parts, but halfway through the second movie, Don stood up to leave. He swayed a bit at first, but managed to regain his balance by grabbing on to the couch's armrest.

"You ok, Donnie?" Raph asked as he eyed his brother questioningly.

"Yeah, I'm just going to use the bathroom," Don answered. "I'll be right back."

His brothers watched as he cautiously walked away from the room, sometimes holding on to the wall to maintain his balance. After he was out of sight, they all halfheartedly returned their attention to the movie. In reality, though, they were all waiting for Don to come back – but he didn't.

"It's been a few minutes," Leo said, unable to wait any longer. "I'm going to check on him."

"Ok," said Raph.

Leo stood up, left the room, and walked down the hall. When he reached the bathroom, he noted that the door was open a crack, allowing some of the light inside to escape. He knocked anyway and called, "Donnie? Are you in there?"

He got a few coughs and unpleasant gagging sounds as a response. "Ok, I'm coming in," said Leo. When he opened the door, he saw his little brother hunched over the toilet, vomiting. Don was shivering uncontrollably and his skin was extremely pale; he just looked miserable. For a while, Leo wasn't entirely sure what he should do, but when he heard a small whimper escape Don, his big brother instincts took over. He knelt down next to his brother, rubbed his shell comfortingly, and helped to flush the toilet regularly. After a while, Don's vomiting turned into dry heaving, which soon also subsided. His breathing remained heavy, though, and Leo noticed that it was also raspy.

_"Please say that he isn't having trouble breathing,"_ Leo thought.

Once he was done, Don pulled away from the toilet and flushed it one last time. Then he just sat there, trying to slow his breathing. He leaned into his older brother and closed his eyes for a little while, too tired to do anything else. Leo hugged him and rocked him back and forth while, continuing to rub his shell soothingly. The two just sat there for a few moments before Leo quietly said, "Do you think you can get up now, Donnie?"

Don opened his eyes tiredly and nodded as he reluctantly pulled away from his older brother. Leo stood up and helped Don to his feet. After he was able to stand steadily, Don approached the sink and washed his mouth out with water. Then he brushed his teeth to drive the acrid taste from his mouth.

"Are you feeling any better now?" Leo asked, even though he knew that his brother was probably feeling more miserable now than ever.

Don nodded his head feebly.

"Ok, let's get you back to the TV room," Leo said as he led Don out of the bathroom. He helped him walk back into the living room, where Mikey and Raph were waiting expectantly. "Just lie down on the couch for now, Donnie."

"Ok," Don croaked before resettling in his spot on the couch.

"I'll go get you a washcloth," Leo told him.

Extremely worried, Mikey and Raph looked at the two. "What's going on?" Mikey asked. "What happened?"

"He threw up," Leo replied before rushing off to get a wet washcloth. When he returned with one, he set it gingerly on Don's forehead. "Is that better, Donnie?"

"Mhmm," Don hummed, too tired to open his mouth to respond.

"Are you comfortable enough? Is there anything else I can get you?" Leo asked.

"Cold," Don managed to say in a strangled whisper.

Leo looked to the pile of blankets that was resting by the foot of the couch. He took them and laid them all on top of Don. When Donatello continued to shiver, he said, "Mikey, go get me one of those heaters."

Michelangelo looked sheepish. "Um, that might be a problem."

"Why?" Leo asked in an exasperated tone, knowing he wouldn't like the answer.

"Well, ya see, Raph and I were messing around with them, and-"

"Alright, I've heard enough. It's too light out now, but later I want you to take the heaters to April's and ask her to fix them. Don't stay up there for too long, though. It's still very cold out, and I don't want you getting sick too."

"Ok, Leo," Mikey answered as he stared at his poor, shivering older brother. He would do anything at all if it would make him feel even the slightest bit more comfortable.

* * *

That night, Michelangelo, carrying a large, heavy box, sneaked to April's antique store. He had perfect timing; no one was there except for April.

"Can I help you, sir?" April asked before realizing that he was one of her three-fingered friends. "Mikey? Is that you?"

Mikey gave her his signature grin. "Yup! In the flesh."

"Oh, it's so great to see you again! It's been a while. What's going on?"

Mikey's cheery expression turned grim. "Don's been sick - really sick."

April listened as Mikey told her all about what had been going on. "Oh, that's awful," she said. "How bad is he?"

"It's pretty bad. Even in the last few hours he's gotten a lot worse. He's already thrown up two more times, even though he hasn't had anything to eat today, and he's having trouble breathing. He says he's really cold. We tried piling a whole bunch of blankets on top of him, but they were too heavy and made it even harder for him to breathe. That's why I came over, April. Leo told me to ask you if you could fix these heaters for us," Mikey explained as he placed the large box on the counter.

April opened the box and saw the few heaters which had been damaged. After examining each one, she said, "Yeah, I should be able to fix these pretty easily. I might not get them done as quickly as Don would be able to, but machines like these aren't really my forté; I'm better with computers."

"Thanks! Just call us when you've fixed them," Mikey said as he turned to leave.

"I will. Oh, and Mikey?" April called out before her friend left the store.

"What?" Mikey asked, turning back to face April.

"You can call me if he gets worse. I'll try to help in any way I can."

Mikey nodded. "Thanks, I will."

"I hope that Don gets better soon."

"So do I, April. So do I."

* * *

"_Tadaima_!" Mikey called out as he entered the lair.

"_Okaeri_," Leo greeted. "Did April say she could fix the heaters?"

"Yeah, she said she'd get them working as soon as she could," Mikey answered. "How's Donnie?"

"He's not doing too well," Leo replied, but the expression on his face told Mikey more than the answer had.

"It's really that bad, huh?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah. I hadn't expected him to get so bad so soon; it's not a good sign."

Mikey sighed. _"I sure hope April hurries up with those heaters,"_ he thought. _"We're gonna need them real soon_."

* * *

_Ohayo_: Good morning. Putting _gozaimasu_ at the end makes it more formal.

_Tadaima_: It's kinda hard to translate this, since there really isn't a word for it in English. You just say it when you come home. It's like saying, "I'm home."

_Okaeri_: Like _tadaima_, you can't really translate it. You say it to the person who comes home. It's like saying, "Welcome home."

Thank you for reading! I'm not entirely sure if I like this chapter too much, but I hope you liked it alright. The next one should be a lot better, though! It's my favorite one so far, so look forward to it. :)


	4. Chapter 4

I actually like this chapter (which is saying a lot for me), since everyone gets their own moment. It's also the longest one - almost twice as long as my first chapter! Just a few hundred words short. Unfortunately, I think I overused the page-breaks! I hope that you all enjoy it anyway. Sorry that I made Leo the main caretaker for the past few chapters; I've found that I really enjoy writing him in his caring "big brother mode." :)

Thanks so much to_ ilovemyboys_, _xTMNTx_, _dondena_, _Luvin' the Muffin_, and _Vampy _for reviewing!_  
_

Disclaimer: ... (OH YEAH!)

* * *

It was late at night and Raph couldn't sleep. As he aimlessly wandered through the lair, the events of the day - or more like yesterday, since it was actually very early in the morning - kept on replaying in his head. He could just picture his little brother's gaunt face and pained expression. _"Donnie's really gone and done it this time,"_ he thought. _"I ain't seen him like that but a few times, and that's when we was little."_

Raph had tried to go to sleep; he really had, but he just couldn't. That awful gut feeling he had that something bad was going to happen was strong enough that he couldn't find rest. As he walked down the hall, though, he heard something. It sounded like...wheezing? Raph almost felt a bit scared at that moment. If he could hear Don breathing all the way from where he was, then things had to be really bad. Then he thought of the other option: Don might not be in bed. It wasn't like it was a novel idea; Don usually didn't stay in bed for long when he was sick. That didn't mean that his brothers liked it any more, though.

Raph followed the noise to its origin: the kitchen. There, sitting at the table, was Donatello. He wasn't doing anything, just sitting and breathing heavily and occasionally shivering. His eyes were staring off into space, not really focused on anything. Raph cleared his throat loudly. Don jumped in his seat and turned his head to face his brother with gazelle-like reflexes. Raph snickered. It never ceased to amuse him how his brother, a trained ninja, could get startled so easily when he was zoning out like that. He supposed he should cut the poor guy some slack, though; ninja or not, he was pretty sick.

"Oh, hi, Raph," Don greeted sheepishly. "Um, what are you doing?"

Raph was a bit relieved to hear his brother actually respond to him. He supposed that the medicine Leo had given him a few hours ago was making him more coherent. "I was about to ask you the same thing," Raph countered. "You're sick; you should be in bed.

Don sighed. "I know."

Raph pulled out the chair opposite his brother's and sat down on it. "So why are ya still up?"

"I..." Don tried to explain but couldn't find the words. "I just couldn't sleep."

Raph studied his brother's expression. It was rather difficult, since Don was staring down at the table, but he didn't really need to see his brother's face in order to know what was bothering him. For a while he had forgotten what it was like to be sick, since he rarely was, but it wasn't that hard to recall. Almost every night when he was ill, he would be kept up by his uncomfortable body heat. At first he would be freezing cold, but soon afterward he would begin to heat up again. He would kick the covers off, then cover himself with them once more. It was a never ending cycle. Also, everything seemed to be so much more rough and painful, like every annoyance was multiplied by five. Even the finest sheets would have seemed scratchy and uncomfortable. The bottom line was that it was nearly impossible to get a good night's sleep when you were sick, despite the fact that you were probably more tired then than at any other time. It was pretty ironic when you thought about it.

Raph's thoughts were cut off by a series of coughs coming from his brother. Unlike how Donatello had coughed before, now he was making a wheezing, grating noise. Each time he tried to inhale after expelling the air from his lungs, he made this odd noise that sounded almost like very high-pitched whistling. The problem was, though, that he _couldn't_ inhale. Raph could see how he was practically choking each time he tried to breathe. Raph wasn't sure what to do. It was obvious that this was serious, but he wasn't sure what he could do to help. Anything he did could make the situation even worse, so he simply settled with awkward, Raph-like pats on the shoulder.

To Raph's great relief, Don's coughing eventually subsided. By his brother's labored breathing, though, Raph could tell that the fit had thoroughly exhausted him. He stood up and got his brother a glass of water, which Don happily accepted.

"Thank you," he croaked after gulping down most of the glass's contents.

"No problem," Raph said. "Are ya feelin' any better?"

Don sighed. "To be honest? Not really."

Raph was a bit surprised by his brother's straightforward answer. Don would usually tiptoe around questions that. Raph could see why he wasn't bothering with it now, though. After all, he wasn't going to fool anybody.

"Come on," Raph said. "Let's get you back to bed."

Don nodded and slowly stood up so that he wouldn't fall back down. Raph carefully led him back to his room, supporting him when he got too tired to walk on his own. Don got into his bed, thanked Raph for his company, and closed his eyes, hoping for some much needed sleep.

"G'night, Donnie," Raph whispered before exiting the room and closing the door behind him. Leo was standing there, waiting for him. "What are you doin' up, Fearless?"

"I heard Don coughing, but I saw that you had it covered," Leo replied.

"I'm not sure if that's how I would put it. I just sat there like an idiot. I...I just felt so useless!" Raph lashed out by punching the wall next to him.

Leo placed a comforting hand on his hotheaded brother's shoulder. "I know what you mean – we all do. I wish there was more I could do for him too, but there really isn't. All we can do now is make sure that he's comfortable and hope for the best."

* * *

When Leonardo entered Donatello's room in the morning the next day to give him some water, knowing that he wouldn't be up to eating, he found that his sick little brother was twitching sporadically in his bed with his legs all tangled up in the sheets. This was usual behavior for some sleepers, but for Donatello it was a sure sign of restlessness. Of course, the heat he unconsciously generated from the movements he made only added to how uncomfortable he was, making everything even worse for the poor turtle. After setting the glass of water he was carrying down on one of the bookshelves, Leo reached over to Don and shook his shoulders gently. "Donnie, wake up," he quietly said.

Don either couldn't hear him or was too wrapped up in his nightmarish dream world to even notice his words. He groaned and panted hoarsely from the heat that the loads of blankets gave him. His mouth muttered frantic, incoherent words, and his forehead was crinkled with lines of worry that his grimacing expression was providing.

Leo shook his brother again, this time a bit harder. "Come on, Donnie. It's just a dream," he told his fitfully sleeping brother. This time he got through to Don, who slowly opened his fogged up eyes.

"Mmm?" he groaned questioningly, lifting his head up a bit to see his older brother. His throat was all messed up from his sickness and made the noise go all over the place. He tried to fix it by coughing harshly a few times, but it did nothing but make his throat ache even more. He gave up and set his head back down on his pillow, too tired to keep it up for any longer than he had to.

"Hey, Donnie," Leo greeted his brother in a quiet, comforting tone. He slowly lowered himself down to sit on the edge of the bed. "How did you sleep?" Though he already knew the answer to the question, he didn't want his younger brother to be embarrassed.

"Mmm," Don moaned in reply, closing his eyes sleepily. To any other person the answer would have been ambiguous, but after living with him for many years, Leo knew his brother well enough to discern his different groaning noises; the one he made when he was deprived of coffee was definitely the most aggressive.

"Nightmare?" asked Leo.

"Mmm." This was a different "_mmm_."

"Sorry. Here, why don't you have some water? It'll make your throat feel better." Reaching over to the bookshelf, he grasped the glass of water in his hand. Seeing that his brother was not in the right physical or mental state to make himself drink, Leo propped him up with his pillow. "Open," he directed. After Don had opened his mouth a minute amount, Leo slowly tipped the bottom of the cup upward so that a small amount of water was allowed to trickle in.

Donatello, who was still not entirely in the right state of mind, swallowed the water that was pouring into his mouth. His befuddled brain was not really able to understand what was going on, so he simply followed his older brother's requests to just keep drinking it.

After his brother had gulped down most of the water, Leo stopped giving it to him. "Is that any better?"

"Mmm."

"That's good. I'm sorry you're so sick, Donnie," Leo gave his condolences.

"Mmm."

Leo sighed a bit as he felt his brother's forehead again. He frowned when he discovered that it was hotter than it had been the last time he had felt it – much hotter. He instantly started searching the room for the bottle of pills that he had left in Don's room for such occasions when his fever was getting worse. _"Where did that thing go?"_ he thought, examining the room. _"Ah! There it is."_ Leo took the bottle from its hiding place, a shelf on the other bookcase, and took out the correct number of pills. Using the remnants of the water, he helped his little brother swallow them.

"Thanks," Don said in a harsh whisper.

Leo smiled softly at the first words he had received in the whole time he had been there. "You're welcome. Is there anything else you want me to do? Can I get you anything?"

"Mmm."

_"So I guess we're back so saying 'mmm' now, huh?"_ Leo thought.

"Alright then." Leo stood up to leave but halted when a hand reached out to stop him and grabbed his arm. He turned around to see his brother's flushed face - whether it was from the fever or embarrassment he couldn't tell; perhaps it was both.

"Could you...stay here for a little while?" Don asked, his large, deep brown eyes staring up at his older brother, unintentionally evoking pity.

Leo smiled at him. "Or course."

* * *

For the next week, Donatello mostly stayed in bed. He didn't get up but once every now and then to use the bathroom. He simply slept and ate what little he could, but more often than not his stomach rejected it. Leonardo regularly gave him medicine to keep his fever down, but there was nothing they could really do to ease his breathing. April had fixed the heaters and returned them to the turtles, and they made things much more comfortable for Don, but he was still miserable. Then again, who wouldn't have been?

Mikey entered Don's room. At first he thought that he had interrupted his brother's sleeping when he didn't hear anything, but he soon saw that Donatello was reading in bed. "Hey, Donnie," Mikey greeted quietly so that he wouldn't startle his older brother. "How are you feeling?"

Don looked up. He was more lucid due to the medicine Leo had given him a while ago, but his brain was still not working as well as it usually was. "Oh, hey, Mikey," he said in a raspy and hoarse voice, which had become the new normal for him. He placed a small piece of paper in between the pages of his book to mark his place and closed the book, giving his brother his full attention. "I'm alright. What are you up to?"

"Nothin' much. What about you?"

"What do you think?"

Mikey laughed. "Oh, yeah. Duh."

This gained a small, hoarse chuckle from Don. "_Duh_ is right."

"Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking."

"Wait...you were thinking?"

Mikey laughed some more. "Um...maybe."

This made Don laugh yet again. "Mikey, why don't you ever actually try to think?"

"Think _what_?"

At this, Don laughed even harder and so did Mikey. However, almost as soon as it had started, Don's laughter turned into a harsh torrent of coughing. Donatello had erupted into such fits often over the past week, but they never ceased to startle Mikey. A glass of water in hand, he waited patiently for his brother's coughing to die down, but it didn't; it just got worse. Mikey watched as his brother tried to inhale and failed. Mikey could have sworn that he even saw his brother's lips turn blue. He was so unsettled that he was about to call out to his brothers for help, but just as he opened his mouth to shout, Don took in a large breath and was able to get more oxygen.

Mikey watched wordlessly as his brother managed to stop his coughing. His breathing gradually got better as well. It was still ragged and raspy, but at least he could take in a decent breath.

"I'm sorry," Mikey said, feeling guilty that he had caused his brother pain.

Don shook his head. "Don't be. It's been a while since I laughed," he replied, still gasping for air. He had been finding it harder to breathe lately. Each of his coughing fits left him so weak and exhausted. He felt like he had just run a marathon every time he had one.

At that moment, Leo walked into the room, carrying a tray with soup and water. "Are you alright, Donnie?" he asked. "I heard you coughing."

"It's not like it's anything new," Don joked. "I'm alright, though."

"Good. I brought you some lunch," Leo told him as he approached the bed and handed his sick brother the tray.

"Thank you," Don said. He picked up the spoon and took small sips of the soup, knowing that if he ate too much too quickly, he would regret it. Even then he could only eat a small amount. He had barely eaten five spoonfuls when he had to stop himself.

"You should really eat more," Leo told him in a worried tone.

"I know, but I can't," Don replied.

"You've barely eaten anything for the past week. It's really making me worry," Leo said.

"I'm sorry, but I just can't."

"Why don't you try?"

"Even if I did, what's the point? It's not like I'd keep it down anyway."

Raph chose the right moment to enter the room, as, judging by his exasperated tone, Leo was about to go into a lecture. "Wassup, Donnie?" he asked.

"Hey, Raph," Don greeted. "Nothing much, just sitting in bed. What did you think I'd be doing?"

Raph allowed himself a small smile. "Alright, smart-mouth. So how ya doin'?"

"I've actually been a lot more comfortable since April fixed the heaters."

"Yeah, I actually feel kinda bad for her. We've been breakin' so much stuff lately, and she doesn't have the time to keep up with it all."

"Even the alarm is getting kinda crazy," Mikey added. "It keeps on going off, even though nothing's there. Honestly, it's getting really annoying."

"We really need you back to your old self, Don," Raph said.

"I could fix something now if you would all let me get out of bed," Don suggested.

"No!" all of his brothers shouted in unison.

Don pouted but was amused nonetheless. "Well, could I at least get out of bed to do _something_? I'm so bored. All I ever do is sit in bed all day. I wouldn't even do anything that required effort; I could just watch a movie on the couch. Please?"

Leo frowned in thought. "Alright," he consented. "But you'd better not try anything tricky. Can you walk by yourself?"

Don smiled at the positive response. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Nevertheless, Leo aided his younger brother in standing up. He noticed that Don had actually lost quite a few pounds. In fact, he could actually feel how much weaker Don had gotten. This, of course, did nothing to make him feel better. He didn't say anything about it, though, lest he make his brother feel worse too.

Don stood up and wobbled a bit, but his big brother was there to help him. Leo shadowed his slow, methodical steps. However, they had only gone a few feet when Don's body couldn't take the exertion anymore. His legs collapsed beneath him, and he fell to the ground.

Leo instantly knelt down next to his brother. "Donnie? Are you ok?" he asked, trying to mask his panic. When Don only answered with ragged breaths, Leo said, "That's enough for today, Donnie. Just get up and go back to bed, ok?"

"I...I can't," Don replied, his voice cracked and strained to its limit.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't get up."

It was then that Leo noticed how the muscles in his brother's fatigued arms were strained, trying desperately to lift Don's body off the ground, but all the force they had was gone. Don just didn't have the strength anymore. He felt so useless. He was unable to move, to even do anything!

"I'm sorry. I can't get up," Don repeated weakly, still trying to push himself off the ground.

Leo reached out to comfort his distressed younger brother and hugged him tightly. "Shh, shh, shh," he hushed, rubbing his hands up and down Don's arms in an effort to calm him down. "It's ok, Donnie. It's alright. It's going to be ok. Everything's going to be ok."

He only hoped that he wasn't lying.

* * *

Master Splinter exited his ailing son's room. His three other sons were waiting for him outside anxiously, waiting to hear news of their brother's condition.

"My sons," Master Splinter began, "your brother is very ill. Only a few times have I seen Donatello like this. When he was a young child, he would get very sick during the winter months. As he got older, however, his health improved, though he still came down with small colds and the like. I thought that I would never see him so ill again, but I have been proved wrong. Donatello is in a critical state at the moment. He will need constant supervision. At least one of you must be with him at all times."

All of the turtles were taken aback by this news, but at the same time they had almost expected it; they just didn't want to believe it. "_Hai_, Sensei," they answered in unison.

"So you understand the severity of the situation?" Master Splinter asked. "Donatello could take a turn for the very worst at any moment."

"We understand," Leo replied, answering for his brothers as well.

"Good. Decide amongst yourselves who will look after him first," Master Splinter directed before taking his leave.

"I'll go first," Leo declared.

"Ya sure?" Raph asked.

Leo nodded. "Yeah."

"'Kay."

Leo took a deep breath and entered his sick brother's room. As soon as he opened the door, Leo could hear Donatello's labored, raspy breathing. He closed the door behind him and took a seat next to his brother on the bed. He was relieved to see that Don was sleeping peacefully. It was definitely a welcome sight, even though the reasons for it were not so pleasant. Leo took his brother's hand in his own and squeezed it tightly.

"I'm so sorry."

* * *

Michelangelo couldn't take it anymore. This was all wrong; everything was wrong. _"__Don shouldn't be so sick. He shouldn't have to stay in bed, trapped like a prisoner._ _There has to be something we can do to help him,"_ Mikey thought. _"But what? What can __**I**__ do?"_

Then he remembered. He pulled out his shell-cell and dialed a very familiar number; he didn't even have to look. He held the phone up to his ear and waited. _"Come on, come on, pick up!"_ he thought.

"Hello? Mikey, is that you?" came the feminine voice on the other side of the line.

Mikey sighed in relief. "April! I'm so glad to hear your voice. Look, Donnie's gotten really bad. Master Splinter's even told us that we have to take turns watching him to make sure that he's alright. He can barely breathe, April. It's really bad."

"Oh my gosh," April gasped. "Why didn't you call me sooner?"

"I don't know. I should've."

"That doesn't matter now. What else is wrong with him?"

"Um, he has a really high fever. He's really weak; he could barely even stand up. It sounds like he's choking every time he breathes."

"That's awful," April said, stating the obvious. "Look, I'll see if I can find anything to help and call you back."

"Ok, but hurry!"

"I will."

Mikey hung up and put his phone back. He was really getting worried about his brother. Well, he had been before, but now things were worse than ever. He had to concentrate to keep himself from hyperventilating. He had always been more prone to panic than his brothers, something which definitely wasn't helping in the slightest at the moment. He even thought he saw the walls shaking. _"Now I'm really losing it,"_ Mikey thought to himself. _"You're not even the one who's sick!"_

However, his thoughts were soon interrupted by a large crashing sound and a tremor that powerfully shook the lair. It was so strong that Mikey lost his balance and was knocked to the ground. Bits of dust and powdered stone fell down from the ceiling and onto his face. To his great relief, the shaking stopped almost as suddenly as it had come, and Mikey was able to pull himself back to his feet. However, a loud, high-pitched wailing sounded soon afterward; the alarm had been triggered. Mikey had always hated the noise it made, but it seemed even more ominous under the current circumstances. He immediately rushed off to the lab. Raph was already there and Leo was running into the room.

"What's going on?" Leo asked.

"I'm checkin'," Raph replied. "What are you doin'? You're supposed to be watchin' Don!"

"I just wanted to make sure that everyone was ok, and I want to know what the shell happened!" Leo shot back.

"Uh-huh. Well, now-"

"Just cut it out, you two!" Mikey shouted, startling his brothers. "This is no time for fighting!"

Raph didn't want to, but he did as his younger brother asked; he was right, after all. However, he couldn't help grumbling some unintelligible – and probably less than favorable – words under his breath. He turned his attention back to the monitors that showed the alarm system's video cameras. He didn't see anything at first, but one of the cameras suddenly became static - then another.

"What the...?" Raph murmured as he watched the cameras become disconnected one by one.

"What is it, Raph?" Mikey asked, growing more nervous by the second.

"Either the alarm's got real big problems, or someone's tryin' to shut it down."

"Trying and succeeding," Leo added. "Come on, we have to get to the front door."

The three turtles rushed over to the lair's main entrance. Master Splinter was already there; he had sensed that something was off.

"I don't see anything," Mikey said, wanting to believe that everything was picture-perfect. "Maybe the alarm really does just have big issues."

As soon as Mikey finished speaking, though, something started banging on the door. It was a terrible, deep, ominous noise that sounded exactly the same each time. Its echo resounded throughout the lair and brought fear to their hearts.

**_ Boom! Boom!_**

"Oops," Mikey squeaked. "Spoke too soon."

"Master, is there any way to get Don out of here?" Leo inquired. If this unknown enemy managed to get past them, Donatello would be a sitting duck. There was no way he would even know that someone was there and that his life was in danger, let alone defend himself.

**_ Boom! Boom!_**

"I am sorry, my son, but I believe that we are all trapped," Master Splinter replied. " Though we have many tunnels for escape, we would not be able to make it out in time – especially with Donatello the way he is. The only thing that we can do now is fight."

"I see," Leo said.

"It'd be funny if it was just Casey playing a prank on us," Mikey joked, trying make the extremely serious situation a bit more bearable.

"If it was, I'd kill him," Raph said, knowing quite well that this was nothing so simple as a harmless prank.

**_ Boom! Boom! Boom!_**

No one had a chance to say anything else before the door came crashing down.

* * *

I'm actually kinda proud of this chapter! I think that Leo was still too much of a main character, but I really couldn't help it. I wonder how it seems to you guys. I've always thought it'd be weird to read my own stories - but if I hadn't written them and someone else had. Strange...anyway, thank you for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry, this chapter's a bit shorter - "_a bit_" meaning "_a lot_." I really tried to make it long, but I'm not too good at writing action scenes. I find them kinda boring to write too, so...yeah. I hope that it's decent enough! Also, I use the word _ninja_ for both singular and plural, since it's a Japanese term, and I personally think that _ninjas_ just sounds kinda dumb. I don't know why! If it bothers you a lot, I guess I can change it, but I don't really like it the other way. Also, Wikipedia says that you can do it either way. (How's that for credibility?)

By the way, I take back what I said about this being like a kiddie cartoon. There is blood! *People screaming in the background* The horror! Anyway, thanks _so_ much to _PrincessAurora1000_, _Vampy_, _TimidBookworm_, _Luvin' the Muffin_, _dondena_, and _xTMNTx_ for reviewing! You guys are too kind. :)

Disclaimer: I'm being sued. Apparently, they wanted me to _actually_ write a disclaimer for the previous chapter. (Not really...can they actually sue us? Or are we doing this for no reason?) Anyway, I don't own TMNT. I don't own "The Muppets" either. (Come on, did I really have to write that? I just mentioned it _once_.)

* * *

No one could stop himself from coughing. A thick cloud of dust and tiny bits of crumbled rock had been produced when the door had fallen down. It congested the air and hindered the family's usually impressive senses. The dust tickled their noses and made their eyes water, and the sound from the door's crash to the ground left their ears ringing. The cloud wasn't what had them worried, though, but what hid behind it.

"Show yourself!" Leo shouted in the most commanding voice he could muster once he had recovered. He strained his tingling eyes to see beyond the veil that hid his enemy.

"Very well, Leonardo."

Leo's eyes shot wide open. He would know that voice anywhere. The owner of it had betrayed him and his family countless times before, and the voice was practically ingrained in his memory. That soft, ladylike voice that could instantly turn into a harsh, grim tone. He had linked it to so many bad memories of his family's pain and anguish and even the suffering of others. It was impossible to forget a voice like that.

At first, Leo thought that she wouldn't obey his command. He knew that she couldn't be trusted to do anything honorable, but she surprised him and did as he had asked. She stepped forward, breaking the cloudy barrier that separated them. The turtles and their master all scowled at her.

"So you _did_ reveal yourself," Leo snapped sharply. "A strangely honorable move for you, _Karai_." Her name came out as a snarl.

The female ninja scowled at his insulting comment, though she knew he had a point; the turtles didn't exactly know her for her honorable decisions. She was clothed in her father's armor, an ever-present reminder of his annihilation. She had worn this in battle ever since the defeat of her master to symbolize that she was no longer an ally but an enemy who was just as dangerous as the original Shredder. She would never stop her quest for their destruction until the Hamato family fell and she avenged her master. "Thank you for your generous welcome," she said in a sardonic tone.

"Enough of this," Leo growled, staring daggers at the intruder. It wasn't every day that one saw levelheaded Leonardo so hostile, but it also wasn't often that someone broke into his house. That was more than enough of a cause to be as ferocious as he was at the moment. When it came to his family, any threat at all was treated vehemently. Threatening his brothers and father made something snap inside of him. It was like unleashing a wild beast from its cage, ready to tear its enemy apart limb by limb.

Karai met Leonardo's harsh glare. Her dark, steely eyes bored into his, but they could not match the intensity of their opponent's. It was easy to tell that he meant business, and Karai was alright with that. After all, that was the very thing she had come to finish. _"I swear, Father, that they will not leave here alive,"_ she thought, hoping that her master could somehow hear her.

"Already? But we just started," Karai said, changing her glare to a cocky expression.

"Leave now and spare yourself the trouble," Leo warned. "And stay away from my family!"

"I am sorry, Leonardo, but I cannot do that. You must pay for what you did to my father," Karai said, her face turning grim once more.

"I'm sorry too," Leo said, looking at her with a strange mixture of anger and pity.

The cloud of dust finally settled and revealed what it had concealed. A massive army of Foot Ninja stood loyally behind Karai. Not only regular ninja were there but also Foot Tech Soldiers and a large machine that was probably not used for fighting but had undoubtedly broken down the door and made the lair shake. They were all waiting for those simple words to call them to fight; all Karai had to do was say them.

"You expect to win your father's honor back by outnumbering us in our own home?" Leo asked incredulously. "Where is _your_ honor, Karai?"

"I came only to restore the honor of my father. To do so I simply have to kill you, and believe me, Leonardo, I will. Ninja, attack!" Karai commanded as she donned her battle helmet.

And so it began. The army of ninja immediately lunged at the three turtles and the rat. They would either destroy their master's enemies or die trying, and the odds of them winning were looking pretty good at the moment. However, the Hamato family would never go down without a fight. In fact, they didn't plan on going down at all. They were more skilled than any Foot Ninja or Foot Tech. Put together, though, the Foot Clan was a force to be reckoned with. They knew that this would not be an easy fight.

Though they tried to stick together, the sheer number of Foot Ninja pushed the four apart from each other; their enemies knew that they were more powerful together than apart and were using that knowledge to make things more difficult for them. The Hamato family fought with all they had, though. They used everything they had ever learned throughout their many years of training and applied it with the utmost concentration. They fought harder than they ever had before. They were determined to end it then and there.

The battle was brutal. Michelangelo twirled his nunchaku furiously, Raphael sliced, threw, blocked, and did just about everything possible with his sai, and Leonardo gracefully and yet ferociously swirled his katana with expert versatility. Though he used his cane, Master Splinter didn't need a weapon to reach his full potential. He could even use the Foot Ninja themselves as weapons - and he did. Even though they fought well and had already greatly decreased the amount of ninja left standing, the number of Foot seemed to be infinite and they just kept coming. The battle had gone on for quite a while, and the four were slowly growing tired. They knew they couldn't fight forever, no matter how skilled they were.

Michelangelo could have really used one of Donatello's sweeping attacks at the moment. He was completely surrounded by a swarm of ninja. Though he was doing his very best and was fighting like a true warrior, he couldn't hold them all off. He wasn't able to block all of the attacks, and he had many cuts and bruises all over his body from such blows.

Then a sword from one of the ninja – probably a Foot Tech – came out of nowhere and sliced him deeply in the leg. Michelangelo cried out in pain and was forced to kneel down. Immediately realizing his mistake, he tried to fight his way back up, but the ninja towered over him and wouldn't let him stand. Mikey knew that if he couldn't get up to fight properly, he wouldn't stand a chance. He called out to his brothers for help but knew that they probably wouldn't even hear him. Even if they did, he couldn't imagine how they could get through the sea of ninja that stood between them.

But his brothers did hear him. Raphael instantly went into his "over-protective big brother mode" and turned his head in the direction that he had heard his baby brother's voice come from. More ferocious than a tiger, he defeated all the ninja that encircled him and charged forward, bringing down all in his path. He ignored all injuries that afflicted him and simply ran as quickly as he could.

In his haste, though, he didn't notice one ninja raise his sword with the intention to kill him. However, he sensed that something was off, so he looked behind him. Unfortunately, he turned one moment too late. He didn't even have a chance to think before the sword plummeted, aiming straight for his head. Things seemed to move in slow motion, and Raphael's heart was racing. However, the sword was suddenly stopped only a few inches from his neck by a cane.

Raph blinked. _"Master Splinter!"_ he thought, still in shock from the fact that he wasn't dead.

"Go now, my son! You must help Michelangelo!" Master Splinter ordered, his voice strained from the force it was taking to keep the sword from cutting off his son's head.

Raph nodded quickly and continued fighting his way to his brother. When he finally reached Mikey and saw how he was forced down on his knees with the deep gash on his leg, Raph was filled with absolute rage. _"You're gonna regret the day you ever picked a fight with me and my brothers, pals,"_ he thought. Before anyone could even blink, he attacked those attacking Michelangelo. He stabbed one of the ninja in the stomach and then twisted his neck. He moved onto the rest of the ninja, who were backing away slowly. Though he could not see their expressions beyond the black masks that hid their faces, he could tell that they were terrified. _"Yeah, you better be,"_ he thought darkly. Raph lunged at them. He ignored the blood that spattered across his chest and arms; anyone who threatened his baby brother deserved the worst fate imaginable.

"You ok?" Raph asked once they were all dead. He bent down and held out his hand to help his brother up.

"Now that you're here," Mikey joked; that line had to be the most clichéd one of all time. He gratefully took Raph's hand and shakily stood up. "Thanks, bro."

"This doesn't look too good," Raph commented as he warded off attacks from more ninja.

"Yeah. How do you think Leo's doing?" Mikey asked, ignoring the pain in his leg and fighting again.

"I'm doing just fine," came the response. "Are you alright? I heard you and came running!"

Mikey defeated his opponent and turned to see Leonardo fighting right beside him. "Yeah, I'm fine. Hey, we're together again!" he exclaimed. It took all of his resolve to stop himself from singing the song from "The Muppets."

"Yeah, but I don't think it's gonna help us that much," Raphael panted. "Look at how many there are!"

"It doesn't matter," Leo said. "All we can do now is fight until one side falls." With that, he charged back into battle.

"Gosh, Leo, that speech made me feel _loads_ be-" Before he could finish his sentence, Michelangelo was struck from behind with a hard, blunt object, and he fell to the ground. "Ugh, not again!" he cried out.

"Come on, Mikey!" Raphael said in an aggravated tone, but he too was soon forced to the floor when he was attacked by an invisible Foot Tech warrior.

Even Leonardo was brought down eventually. Though he had tried his best and had fought bravely like an honorable warrior, there were simply too many Foot for them to bring down by themselves. Many ninja surrounded the three turtles and held them down. They kept their weapons at the ready to make sure that the brothers wouldn't try to fight back.

Only Master Splinter was left standing. The turtles could see him from where they were held captive. Now that the lair was no longer packed with Foot Ninja, the turtles could see how many enemies they had defeated. The floor was practically covered with the bodies of dead and unconscious ninja. The turtles thought the number had to be astronomical.

Intending to free his sons, Master Splinter rushed toward the ninja holding them captive, but he halted when Karai called out, "Stop, or they die!" She pressed the blade of her sword against Leonardo's throat. "Good; now drop your weapon and kneel."

Master Splinter looked forlornly at his sons; he knew the battle was lost. He threw his walking stick to the ground and knelt down next to his three sons.

Karai removed her helmet and got a good look at the defeated opponents kneeling before her. She soaked it all in and laughed victoriously, a hint of madness in her eyes. "At last! I have you four right where I want you. I have waited for what seems like years for this moment."

The four scowled at her.

"Wait...four?" Karai wondered out loud. "Where is your other brother? The one in purple, Donatello?"

The turtles gulped; they had known that it would only be a matter of time before Karai noticed he was missing.

"Well, are you going to tell me?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow. She got no response. "I suppose not. Such a pity; he shall suffer for your insolence. Ninja, search every room in this place. Do not rest until you find him!"

Her servants silently obeyed her command and spread throughout the lair.

"Is it really going to end like this?" Mikey asked quietly.

"I don't know, Mikey," Leo answered. He hated to disappoint his younger brother, but he couldn't lie to him - not now and most definitely not about this.

"If it is, then we must accept our fates," Master Splinter added.

"I know. What if-" Michelangelo was suddenly cut off by his shell-cell ringing. He blinked in surprise and grabbed it. It was April's number! He was about to open it, but Karai forcefully snatched the phone from his hands.

"Do not test me," she growled slowly, pausing between each word, before crushing the cellphone in between her metal-coated fingers.

"Ooh, Donnie's not gonna like that," Mikey joked, but his normally jovial voice lacked its charisma and wavered uncertainly.

"Mistress, we found him!" called a group of ninja from across the lair.

"Ah! What is that phrase you Americans say? 'Speak of the devil'?" Karai said, her posture reeking of arrogance. "Bring him here immediately!"

The ninja did as she ordered and entered the room, dragging Donatello with them. They placed his pale, weak body at their master's feet. The turtles stared with pity at their brother. He was still sleeping soundly, despite the fact that he had been pushed out of bed and dragged across the floor. He was completely oblivious to the fact that he was most likely about to die.

"Good. I believe that he has rested for long enough. Wake him," Karai demanded.

A few ninja stepped forward and started to brutally kick Donatello in front if his brothers and father. The sick turtle quickly woke with a jolt and opened his eyes a crack. His brain was extremely befuddled, since the medicine had worn off and he was now in a position that was completely strange to him. However, the ninja continued to kick him, even though he was awake. Donatello groaned with the pain that seemed so intense to his ailing body.

"That's enough, Karai!" Leo ordered.

Karai completely ignored his comment. "I'm not sure if he is truly awake yet. Do it harder!"

"Do it and I'll kill ya!" Raph threatened, struggling against the ninja holding him down.

But Karai paid no heed to the warning. She forced the turtles to watch in horror as their poor brother was beaten mercilessly by the hordes of enemy ninja. Don's eyes looked pleadingly to his family for help, but they could not do anything to aid him. Bruises littered his weak body, and new ones appeared on his skin by the second.

"That's better," Karai said, "but I just want to make sure that he is aware of the situation. Harder!"

"You go too far, Karai!" Master Splinter exclaimed.

"Do I?" Karai asked, a crazy glint in her eye. "You might as well have murdered my father. You shall now pay by watching your brother die. Then I shall kill you as well, one by one. I will watch as the life is wrung from your pathetic bodies."

Donatello cried out in pain again as yet another harsh blow was dealt to him. He was roughly gasping for the air the that ninja kept kicking out of him but to no avail. Between the impossibility of breathing and the ruthless blows from the ninja, Donatello thought that he would die right then and there.

"Stop! He can't breathe!" Mikey called out. The panic he felt was evident in both his voice and expression; he didn't even try to hide it.

Karai, seeing how distressed he was, ordered, "Stop for a moment. The young one may be right."

The turtles sighed with relief. Perhaps Karai would spare their brother's life for a moment, however small it might be.

"I don't want the fun to be over just yet," Karai said, smiling madly.

"You are despicable, Karai!" Leonardo spat. "I thought you were different from your father. I thought that you had honor, but you're just like him. I can't believe that I ever trusted you, and I can't believe that you would do this: kick a defenseless warrior when he's already down. I thought I knew you! You were honorable! _This is not honorable_!"

"I no longer care about honor," Karai replied darkly. "I care only about revenge. I lost everything when you defeated my father, and now you shall lose everything as well."

Leo shook his head sadly. "What happened to you?" he asked, his voice filled with pity.

"Grief. You shall now feel its sting." After she said those words, Karai knelt down, raised her hand, and clasped it around Donatello's throat. She squeezed.

The turtles and their master cried out for her to stop, but Karai only took pleasure in their terrified protests. She watched with glee as Donatello opened his mouth widely, gasping like a fish out of water. Yes, she would enjoy watching the light leave his eyes.

* * *

...Does that qualify as a cliff-hanger? XD

I'm sorry if Karai seemed out of character or anything. I really wasn't trying to make her like her normal self but instead like she's kind of being driven insane by the defeat of her father. Also, I just hate her. XP She was totally awesome in the CGI version (go Zhang Ziyi! Or Ziyi Zhang...I don't know which name goes first), but I don't like her in the 2k3 one, which is what I'm basing this off of. Throughout the chapter, I kept on wanting to say, "Death of her father," but then I remembered that he didn't actually die. He should have. It would make things so much easier for me!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! Sorry for the long author's notes...


	6. Chapter 6

I'm sorry; this chapter isn't as long as I'd like it to be. I don't really like it that much either. I wasn't able to go over it as much as I would have liked, since I was really busy this weekend. I hope that it's decent enough, though. Please enjoy!

Thanks to _TimidBookworm_, _dondena_, _Margui_, _Randomchick16_, _Alura_ _Nescire_, and_ Vampy_ for reviewing. :)_  
_

Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT.

* * *

Karai could feel the life slowly draining from Donatello. The way his eyes were slowly becoming dull, his breathing, which was becoming more like a quiet whisper than the hoarse gasping that it had been before, and how his body was slowly becoming inert and unmoving delighted the madness inside of her. The taste of revenge was sweet on her tongue. She pressed down harder.

"Please stop!" Michelangelo cried out. He couldn't bear to watch the horrible sight of his brother being strangled any longer. If this continued, it wouldn't be long before he was reduced to tears.

"Get off 'im!" Raphael yelled angrily, trying desperately to break free from the strong hold of his captors.

"How dare you lay a hand on him?" Master Splinter snarled, enraged.

"Stop it, Karai!" Leonardo ordered.

They knew that Don wouldn't last much longer. His attempts at breathing had become weaker as his body slowly shut down. Black spots swam across his vision, and his eyelids were slowly being closed against his will, like curtains obeyed the strings that pulled them. His throat burned terribly, as did the rest of his body.

Karai smiled wickedly as Don made a small choking sound in the back of his throat and attempted yet again to gain a small breath of air, but her grip was too tight. His frightened gasps became less and less frequent as the energy in his body was used up; he barely had any left. He was almost out. He was almost dead. Almost...but not quite.

Just as Donatello attempted what seemed to be his last gasp for air, a female voice from behind yelled, "Hey, Karai! How about a taste of your own medicine?"

Startled, Karai lifted her hand off of Donatello's throat for just a split second – it was enough, though. Don took a small gasp of air and was able to provide his body with a small amount of oxygen. The turtles and their father sighed with relief, but Karai scowled. Who dared to interrupt her prized moment of revenge? Whoever it was, they would pay. She whirled her head around to see who had bothered her but was only met with a foot in her face. She went flying backward before she could even see who it was. The turtles and their father took the advantage of the moment, broke free from their captors, and pushed them to the floor instead.

"Woohoo, yeah! Nobody messes wit' my friends, got dat?" yelled a man in a rough Brooklyn accent.

"Casey? April! What are you guys doing here?" Mikey exclaimed, absolutely shocked by the sudden turn of events.

True enough, April and Casey were the ones who had interrupted Karai just in the nick of time. Casey was wearing his regular vigilante garb, and April was wearing her usual maroon t-shirt and tan cargo pants. She also had a large duffel bag hanging from her shoulder and was armed with one of Casey's clubs.

"That's not important right now!" April shouted back as she dealt with one of the Foot Ninja. "We have to get these guys out of here!"

"Don't have to tell us twice!" Raph said as he charged into battle alongside his friends.

"Mikey, go to Donnie and make sure he's ok," Leo ordered before running after Karai.

Mikey nodded and ran over to where his brother lay gasping on the floor. Don's eyes were glazed over, and his small breaths were quick and shallow. Mikey thought it sounded like they almost hurt – and they probably did. A large, nasty bruise was already forming on his neck where Karai had grabbed him. He was having a hard time staying awake. Every cell in his body was burning from the oxygen deprivation; his quick breaths weren't able to provide enough.

"Come on, Donnie, stay awake," Mikey urged in what he hoped was a comforting voice. Right then, he was scared out of his wits, and, quite honestly, he wanted someone to comfort _him_. He had to stay strong for his big brother, though. Seeking reassurance, he looked into Don's deep brown eyes, which continued to slowly close. "No, Donnie, you can't close your eyes!"

Leo and Karai circled around each other, both cautious and neither one daring to make the first move. April, Master Splinter, Casey, and Raph were dealing with the few remaining Foot on the other side of the room, and most of the ninja were already either dead or unconscious; not many were left standing.

Karai noticed this. It infuriated her, but she knew what had to be done. "Foot Ninja, retreat!" she ordered, frustration heavy in her voice. She gave Leonardo a particularly nasty and menacing look. "This isn't the end," she growled before grabbing her father's helmet and darting off.

The Foot Ninja who were still conscious followed her lead. They picked up what fallen comrades they could and fled as quickly as they could from the lair.

"Oh yeah!" Casey exclaimed in celebration, pumping his fists in the air. "We came, we saw, we _totally_ kicked ninja butt!"

Leonardo sheathed his swords. "Good job, everyone. I thought we were goners."

"Leo!" called Michelangelo's panicked voice. "Come over here quick! I can't keep Donnie awake."

Instantly alert, Leo ran over to his younger brothers. "Oh my gosh," he gasped when he saw Donatello's condition. His skin was deathly pale, and his gasps for air were frantic and loud. His eyes were clouded and unseeing, though they frantically darted this way and that as if they were searching for something. Leo and all the others had all been struck with terror when Karai had strangled him, but they had wanted to naively believe that Don would go back to normal afterward, though they knew that it wouldn't happen. Seeing it, though, was much worse than Leo had imagined it to be. "I-Is there anything we can do?" he asked, kneeling down next to his brother as well.

Raphael joined him. He was trying to remain in control of his emotions, but it was hard when he saw his brother lying there on the floor like that, suffering. "It's gonna be ok, Donnie," he tried to comfort his sibling, though he had no idea if Don could even hear him.

Trying to ease his son's pain, Master Splinter rested a comforting paw on Don's scorching forehead. Don finally allowed his eyes to close at the touch, which alleviated some of the agony. Sleep was softly calling him, and he couldn't resist any longer. His body slowly relaxed and he passed out of consciousness.

"April, what can we do?" Mikey begged frantically.

"My gosh, Mikey, you told me he was _bad_!" April exclaimed, covering her mouth in shock. "This is _terrible_!"

"April, he's _dying_!" Leo cried out. "Please, if there's anything that can help..."

"Yes, I brought something with me," April replied, trying to regain her composure. Shakily reaching into the bag she had brought with her, she pulled out a small machine with a mask that was fit to cover one's mouth. "I got it when Mikey called me," she explained, noticing their confused glances.

"You called her?" Raph asked, confused.

Mikey nodded glumly. "Don wasn't getting any better, and April said to call if he got really bad - and he did - so...I just decided that I couldn't watch him suffer like that, not when there was something that I could do to help."**  
**

After considering his brother's words, Raph nodded his head in approval. "Nice job, Mikey. Ya did good," he said as he patted his brother on the shell, giving him a rare show of praise and affection. Mikey gave him a small smile in return.

"Sorry to interrupt," April amended, "but you need to move so that I put this on Don."

The turtles all scooted over to let April hook up the machine. She placed the mask over Don's mouth and started the machine. Much needed oxygen was immediately pumped into the turtle's lungs.

"He's still not moving," Mikey stated. "Why isn't he moving?"

April instantly checked Don's pulse. It was barely there, but at least his heart was still pumping. "He's only unconscious for the moment, Mikey. We just have to wait and see if he gets any better."

Casey, who had been standing, dumbfounded, in the corner for the past few moments, said, "Why didn't nobody tell me about this? What's wrong with Donnie? Is he gonna be ok?" The last sentence was spoken softly and with sincere care, something which Casey Jones wasn't usually known for but showed earnestly on rare occasions.

"I don't know yet, Casey," April replied. "I'm sorry."

"We have to get out of here," Leo said. "The Foot know where we are now, and they know that we're vulnerable."

"Where can we go? They'll be watchin' April's for sure, and I dunno if Donnie can make it to the farmhouse," Raphael said.

"What about Leatherhead's?" Mikey suggested.

Leo nodded. It was the only option they had left now. "Alright. Raph, get the tunneler."

* * *

The ride to Leatherhead's place was a nightmare. No one could help but be reminded of the time when they had taken Leonardo, battered and bruised, to the farmhouse. The same suffocating silence descended upon them as they made their way to their friend's abode.

"A'right, we're here," Raph finally announced. He had driven the entire way, but it had been hard to concentrate on the task at hand under the circumstances. He opened the doors so that everyone could exit.

"I'll carry Don," Leo said. "Mikey, you get his breathing machine."

Mikey nodded and picked up the part of the machine that was attached to the mask on Don's face. Leo lifted his fragile, still sleeping brother up in his arms bridal-style. Don had always been the lightest of the four brothers, but it was almost frightening how little he was at the moment. Leo tried to keep a clear head, though; he couldn't allow himself to lost focus. They quickly exited the tunneler along with everyone else.

"Um, Raph, are you sure you drove us to the right place?" Mikey asked. In front of them was a solid wall of bricks.

"Yup. Leatherhead sure knows how to hide this place good," Raph said as he felt around the wall; he was looking for something. He suddenly stopped when one of his hands swept over something that didn't feel quite right. He pulled on it. Immediately, a few rows of bricks moved and a door appeared. "Ha! Told you it was here."

Mikey dismally thought that now was the time when Don would usually say something like, "Oh, you just got pwned!"

Raph banged on the door. "Yo, Leatherhead!" he called. "Open up, will ya?"

From where they stood they could hear their reptilian friend shuffling about and moving miscellaneous objects around inside. Leatherhead eventually made it to the door. When he opened it and saw Raphael, he joyously greeted him. "Ah, my friend!" he said. "What a pleasant surprise to see you here."

"Unfortunately," answered Raph, "it's not as pleasant as we would like." He stepped back to reveal his beaten up family and friends and Donatello, who was lying limply in Leo's arms.

"Oh my!" Leatherhead exclaimed, a look of horror dawning on his face. "What has happened?"

The turtles told their friend a very abridged version of what had gone on and watched the different emotions play out on his face: pity, shock, and anger.

"This is terrible," Leatherhead gasped. "Please, come in! Come in." He sidestepped away from the door to let his friends in and beckoned for them to enter.

"Leo," Mikey said, "we can't just leave the tunneler here. What if the Foot come back and see it? We can't give away Leatherhead's home!"

"No problem, Mikey," Casey said. "I'll drive it away from here."

"You sure, Casey?" Leo asked.

"Yeah. You guys go on without me. I'll be back at my apartment if anyone needs me. Tell me if Don gets any better, 'kay? Or if he...ya know..."

"Yeah, we will," April called after him in a tone devoid of all emotion. "Be safe!"

"Always am," Casey called back before getting back into the tunneler and driving off quickly, creating a cloud of dust behind him.

April, Master Splinter, and the turtles all entered Leatherhead's home together. Leatherhead shut the door behind them and immediately got to work on looking for a comfortable place for Donatello to rest.

Leatherhead's house was pretty large for someone who lived just by himself. The ceiling was pretty high and the rooms were spacious. At the moment they were in what they presumed was the living room, judging by the sofa and TV that were placed there. The floor was made of concrete (no surprise there), but Leatherhead had made it more homey by setting down old rugs that he had found and washed out thoroughly.

"Please follow me," Leatherhead said as he quickly led them through his house and into yet another large room. It was pretty easy to figure out that this was his laboratory. There were a few cots on the far right side of the room with heart monitors and other medical equipment, and many boxes and papers – and boxes _of_ papers – were littered about the room. Giant, intricate machines were spread throughout the space as well. The turtles didn't dare guess what they were all for, but they knew that they were probably very important and had taken months of painstaking work.

"Set Donatello down on one of the beds over there," Leatherhead directed, motioning to the row of cots on the right.

Leo and Mikey did as he said and made sure that their brother was comfortable. Raph took the light sheets off a few of the other cots and spread them over Don's body.

"How may I be of service?" Master Splinter inquired.

"Would you be so kind as to get me that small box over there?" Leatherhead asked, pointing in some direction.

Master Splinter nodded and searched for the object in question. Once he found the box, he retrieved it and offered it to his friend.

"Thank you," Leatherhead said. He took the box over to Donatello and set it down on a nearby bed.

"What about me?" asked April. "What can I do to help?"

"Can you set up a heart monitor?" Leatherhead asked.

"Yes, of course."

"Good. That would be very helpful."

April took one of the heart monitors that were just lying about, plugged it in, and hooked it up to Don. The line on the monitor instantly started to move, constantly changing and beeping with the rhythm of Donatello's heart. Leatherhead started to set up an IV. He poured medicine and various other fluids into a bag and let it hang on a stand. He then inserted the needle attached to the bag by a tube into Don's arm and secured it with medical tape. Everyone watched silently as he checked the breathing machine and set up a few other things.

"Is he gonna be ok?" Mikey asked quietly.

Leatherhead sighed. "It is hard to tell now. His fever is extremely high, and the strangulation has definitely not helped with his breathing difficulties to say the least. However, I believe that he will get better with time and rest," he replied, gaining relieved sighs from everyone. "I gave him a lot of medicine, so I hope that he shall recover quickly."

"What do we do now, Leatherhead?" Leo inquired.

"I believe that we must leave him to rest, my sons," Master Splinter answered for him.

"Your sensei is right," Leatherhead said. "All we can do now is wait until Donatello awakens."

Raph's eye twitched and he clenched his fists. "Ugh, I hate this! The Foot drivin' us outta our home, messin' with us, makin' Donnie like this; it just ain't right!" he exclaimed. He wanted to punch something so badly at the moment but forced himself to remain in control of his anger.

"I know, Raph. I hate it too," Leo said in a calm tone. "But let's just do as Master Splinter and Leatherhead said. We can figure out what to do about the Foot some other time. Besides, we have to patch ourselves up too; Donnie's not the only one who got hurt."

Everyone had actually forgotten about their own wounds. All of the sudden, though, the pain in Michelangelo's leg began to flare up again.

"Mikey," said Leo, "I'm going to need to stitch up your leg. Leatherhead, do you have any thread and a needle that I could borrow?"

"Why of course! I am sorry. I was so focused on helping Donatello that I did not attend to you," Leatherhead apologized as he rummaged through the various things scattered around the room and dug out a needle and some thread. He held them out to Leo.

"We all were," Leo said, taking the needed supplies. "Thank you."

Leatherhead also brought them bandages and other things to help Leonardo sterilize the needle and clean Mikey's wounds. "Please sit!" he invited. "I have many chairs here for you, or you may sit on the beds if you like. If you do not mind too much, I should wish to hear a more detailed version of what happened while you attend to your wounds. You obviously did not tell me all."

"Sure," Mikey said.

"I am glad to hear it. Before you came, I was making tea. I shall go and finish it and perhaps bring back a few other refreshments."

"Got any...grapes?" Mikey asked, a silly grin on his face.

"Don't even start it," Raph warned, sending him a sideways glance - though he was actually glad that his brother was brightening up.

Leatherhead left the room to finish making the tea. Leo sat Mikey down on one of the beds and started to stitch up the large gash on his leg. Mikey winced from the pain, but he didn't complain; he didn't dare to when Don had been through so much already. Master Splinter got some ice from Leatherhead's kitchen and placed packs of it on his sons' wounds and his own. April got some wet washcloths and helped to wipe the blood from their bodies. She also attended to the wounds that Don had received from the Foot Ninja. To her great dismay, she found that more of his skin was bruised than not.

Leatherhead soon returned with a tray of snacks and drinks. His guests thanked him and took them, but they all seemed to have lost their appetites.

"So, please tell me your story," Leatherhead requested. "How did Donatello become like this?" He motioned to Don's recumbent, nearly lifeless form on the cot.

The turtles took turns explaining what all had happened over the past week or so and how Karai had barged into their home.

"...But then April and Casey came in and saved the day! We beat the bad guys outta our home, but Donnie was really sick, so we brought him here," Mikey concluded.

"I see. I am only glad that Bishop was not involved," Leatherhead said grimly, a touch of anger in his voice from simply mentioning that vile man. "Tell me, how did Miss O' Neil and Mr. Jones know that you were in danger? They obviously came prepared for a fight."

Everyone paused. "You know what? I don't know. How _did_ you guys rescue us?" Mikey asked April.

"Well, after Mikey called me and told me about Don's condition, I did some research on breathing problems and tried to find something I could do to help Donnie, like he had asked me to," April began. " All the symptoms pointed to pneumonia, so I looked up things that could help with that. Then I remembered that I had an old breathing machine left over from when I was taking care of my late grandmother – may she rest in peace. I thought that it might help, so I called Mikey, but he didn't pick up. I thought it was odd, since I knew that you wouldn't have left the lair with Donnie the way he was. So I went down into the sewers to give it to you, but then I saw that the alarm had been tampered with and the huge, gaping hole in the middle of the wall! So I called Casey for backup and, well, here we are."

"You are all very lucky to have survived," Leatherhead commented.

"I know," Leo said. "But we didn't come out unscathed."

"In such vicious fights, people rarely do," Master Splinter said.

"You got that right," said Mikey. "Leo, are you done stitching my leg yet? This is really uncomfortable."

"Just a moment...yeah, I'm finished," Leo replied, tying off the end of the string and cutting it off.

"Thanks," Mikey murmured as he flexed his leg.

Then they all fell silent, since no one was quite sure of what to say. All of the sudden, though, they heard a groan coming from the other side of the room. They all snapped their heads towards Don to see him shifting a bit in his sleep.

"I believe that Donatello is waking up," Leatherhead said, hope in his voice.

* * *

I'm sorry if anyone seemed out of character! This is my first story in which I'm using April, Casey, and Leatherhead, so I've never really written any of them before. I hope that they were ok! As always, thanks for reading. :)


	7. Chapter 7

Yay! I managed to up the chapter length! It's the longest chapter yet! I'm super happy, and I shall reward myself by watching awesome martial arts fighting scenes. I'm in love with Donnie Yen! To those of you who don't know who he is, he's an awesome martial artist. :) If you're a fan of martial arts movies, watch _Ip Man_. It's awesome. Sorry, I'm getting off track here! XD I believe that the next few chapters will be a bit longer as well. Sorry about the not so great length for the last few chapters. I hope that you guys don't hate me too much! XD Can you believe that we're still on the same day in the story? I mean, what's it been? Two or three chapters (depending on if you count halves)? It's kinda crazy.

Thanks to _PrincessAurora1000_, _xTMNTx_, _TimidBookworm_, _Alura Nescire_, _dondena_,_ Vampy_,_ oj-angel1573_, _Margui/I Love Kittens too_, and_ Silver FoxWolf_ for reviewing! I can't believe that so many people reviewed! :D

Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT, LOTR, or Dexter's Laboratory.

* * *

When Donatello finally managed to lift his heavy eyelids, he could barely see at all with his messed up vision. He was only able to see the white walls and other undefinable blobs of different colors in the background, but they were constantly shifting and swirling around in a strange fashion. It looked like someone was using the distort tool on a picture - but he or she was having too much fun and didn't want to stop. Don always hated it when Mikey did that; it made him sick. This was like that but times ten...cubed. Don closed his eyes tightly in an attempt to improve his sight, since he knew that he would be sick if it stayed the way it was, and he opened them again after a while. When he did, things were better; the world had stopped turning, and he was now able to focus on three nearby green blobs and a strange gray shape that he still couldn't quite make out. He tried to clear his cloudy vision yet again by blinking slowly a few times. This helped to make the images more visible, and he could now see multicolored bands on the top parts of the green blobs.

_"My brothers!"_ his befuddled mind concluded. _"And Master Splinter!"_

As time passed and he woke up more, Don became truly aware of the pain he was in. No part of his body was safe from the agonizing sensation. However, the pain strangely seemed like it was dulled down, leading Don to believe that someone had given him a drug to make the feeling less torturous. Don also became more aware of his surroundings, and his eyes finally managed to focus well enough to see his family's faces. He stared up at them. They were all looking down at him with worried expressions.

_"Why are they all the way up there?"_ Don wondered. He was so confused at the moment that it wasn't even possible to convey how he felt in words. _"Where am I? What's going on? How did we escape?"_

And the most unsettling of all: _"__Shouldn't I be dead?"_

This riveting question nearly shook him to his core. All of the sudden, he remembered that terrifying moment when Karai was towering menacingly over him, trying to kill him - trying to literally squeeze the life out of him. Terror fiercely gripped him once more, and he discovered what he wanted more than anything else at the moment was to be in the comforting arms of his brothers and father.

Despite the intense emotions playing through his heart, Don could not display his discomfort. His body was too weak to do anything but perform involuntary tasks and stay awake, and it was struggling enough with that. However, his family could sense his distress. Master Splinter was the first to speak. "My son," he addressed, "how do you feel?"

Hearing his father's serene voice calmed Don. He tried desperately to kick his brain into gear and think of a viable response. After his addled mind was able to create one, he attempted to open his mouth to respond but found that he wasn't strong enough. To be honest, he wasn't entirely surprised; after all, he could barely even see out of his glassy eyes. It also felt a bit strange when he breathed; it was much easier, but it didn't quite feel right. Through all of his mental confusion, though, he was able to notice what was making it easier for him to inhale: the breathing mask that was plastered to his face. _"What happened?"_ he wondered._ "Where did the breathing mask come from? How did I get here? Is my family alright? Did we beat Karai? Or is she holding us captive right now?"_

Too lost in his thoughts, Don didn't realize that he still hadn't answered his father, who was becoming very worried. "My son, can you hear me?" Master Splinter asked.

Once he was brought back to reality by his father's voice, Don tried yet again to answer his master but to no avail. He couldn't move his head to nod up and down either. This frustrated him considerably, but what could he do? How could he communicate if he couldn't even move his head? It was then that he thought of moving something smaller, something that wouldn't take so much effort. With this in mind, he mustered enough strength to lift up his index finger and tap it once.

Michelangelo caught this motion. "Don? Donnie, can you hear us? Tap once for yes and twice for no. Wait...why would you say no? That doesn't make any sense...ok, just tap once if you can hear us!"

Don heard a small noise in the background that sounded like someone getting smacked on the head. He smiled inwardly; that was the unmistakable sound of justice being served. In an effort to respond to Mikey and the rest of his family, Don managed to lift his finger up once more and tapped.

Mikey sighed heavily in relief, as did the rest of his family. "Donnie, you're ok!" he exclaimed. He wanted so much to hug Don, but he knew that doing so would only endanger his brother's welfare. Little did he know that a hug was exactly what Don wanted at the moment. Donatello gave a small hint of a smile that was nearly undetectable, but his family caught it just fine and smiled back - which was the next best thing to a hug. Don's glassy, tired eyes looked back at them affectionately.

"Let him sleep," said a deep voice that was also nearby. Don couldn't see the one who had said those words, but he didn't need to; he would know Leatherhead's calming tone anywhere. "He has been through a lot today and he needs his rest."

Everyone immediately saw the truth in his words after getting another good look at Don. His body was completely covered in cuts and bruises, the worst of which was the large purple blob on his neck. His eyes were only half-open, as he didn't have much strength and was struggling to even stay awake. Don was more exhausted now than he had ever been in his life. His body ached so much, and his eyelids seemed as heavy as a massive truck which he was constantly trying to keep from crashing down. The idea of sleep was definitely welcome.

Leatherhead reached over to the IV and put some sort of liquid into it. Don almost immediately closed his tired eyes. His body relaxed and he allowed himself to fall asleep. "That should help him to rest peacefully," Leatherhead informed his guests. "It should be a while until he wakes again."

"So...he's ok, right?" Mikey asked.

"Your brother is in a very fragile state right now," Leatherhead replied. "I suppose you knew that already, though. It may take a while, but I believe that Donatello will recover, provided that he gets lots of rest."

"That's great," April sighed in relief. "I was so worried. I've never seen Don like that before. It just about scared me to death! I'd really like to stay here with you guys and make sure that he recovers alright, but, unfortunately, I can't stay much longer. Casey will be getting worried and it's pretty late. Quite frankly, Don's got the right idea here; I'm pretty tired myself!"

"That is quite alright, Miss O' Neil. Please do not compromise your own health for ours. Can you make it back home by yourself?" asked Master Splinter. "One of us would be willing to accompany you if need be."

"No, but thank you for your concern; I should be able to make it home alone. Besides, you should stay here with Don," April politely declined. "Thank you for your hospitality, Leatherhead."

"It is always a pleasure, Miss O' Neil," Leatherhead said.

April bid them farewell and expressed her wishes for Don's health to improve once more before leaving Leatherhead's place for her own cozy apartment.

"We ought to get some rest as well, my sons," Master Splinter said.

The turtles nodded. The fatigue from their battle was taking its toll on their bodies, and they found that all they wanted to do was go to bed as well. However, they weren't entirely sure about leaving their brother all by himself.

"My friends, you are welcome to stay here in this very room!" Leatherhead offered, sensing their uncertainty. "I would not mind it at all, and I am sure that Donatello would not as well. I have more than enough beds for you."

"You are too kind, Leatherhead," Master Splinter said, bowing in thanks.

Mikey moved one of the beds up next to the one that Don was sleeping in, and his brothers followed his lead. Once their beds were all lined up, the clambered onto them. Soon they were all huddled together around their brainy brother. They gained a sense of security from being together like this, and this feeling allowed them to settle down for some well earned rest. Master Splinter smiled at his sons' actions. He was extremely proud to have raised such loyal brothers. Not wanting to disturb his sons, he decided to settle down by the foot of Donatello's bed to get some sleep. That night, the entire Hamato family slept soundly and peacefully.

* * *

The next day, the turtles' bodies were aching so badly that they stayed in bed for quite a while even after waking up at a considerably late hour. It took a while, but they finally mustered the strength the kick their throbbing muscles back into gear, and they pulled themselves out of bed. Donatello slept on, since he still hadn't recovered from the previous day's events. The bruise on his neck had now turned a deep shade of purple that was even darker than his mask and was slightly tinted red. Master Splinter had gotten up much earlier than his sons and had been sitting by Donatello's side for a while. The worried, overprotective father in him just wouldn't let him rest for long while his son was ailing so. Leatherhead, noticing this, had been kind enough to fetch him some tea to help him relax.

"How is he, Sensei?" asked Leonardo, who was the first to crawl out of bed.

"Donatello's condition has improved a little," Master Splinter replied. "His breathing has become easier. Leatherhead told me that he is well enough now that he no longer needs that breathing machine. He has removed it, as you can see."

"That's good," commented Raph, who was still stretching.

"Do you think he'll wake up any time soon?" asked Mikey, rubbing his eyes drowsily.

"It is very difficult to tell," their sensei replied. "Your brother's spirit is still mending, but I believe that he will come to us shortly."

Just then, Leatherhead walked into the room, carrying a tray with tea on it. "Master Splinter, I have brought you – oh, my friends! I am so pleased to see that you are finally awake."

"Mornin', Leatherhead," Mikey greeted.

"Good morning to you, Michelangelo – and all of you," Leatherhead returned. "I trust that you slept well?"

"Yeah, but I just can't seem to wake up," Mikey said, still rubbing his eyes. "I jus' wanna go back to bed." It was rather hard to make out his last sentence since he said it while yawning.

Leatherhead smiled a bit. "I see. I shall go and prepare breakfast since you are awake now."

The turtles were still not particularly hungry – worry was still eating at them – but they knew that they should have something to replenish their energy. They had really worn themselves out in that fight, and they definitely had the scars to prove it.

After breakfast was done and the turtles and their master ate all they could, they discussed their plans.

"So, where are we gonna live?" asked Raph. "We can't go back to the old lair; Karai knows where that is now. How did she ever find it in the first place anyway?"

"I don't know, Raph," said Leo. "You're right, though; there's no way that we can live there again. It's not safe."

"So we have to move? Again?" Mikey whined, even though he had known that it was inevitable.

"Yes, Mikey. Sorry, but we just don't have any choice," Leo said.

"Yeah, I know," Mikey mumbled. "It still stinks, though."

"But where are we gonna live for now?" asked Raph. "Are we gonna go out and look for a new place? Can we even move Donnie with the way he is?"

"Those are all very good questions, my son, but none of us yet know the answers to them," Master Splinter said.

"I can answer one," said Leatherhead. "You can stay here for now. I have plenty of space. I'm sure I could clear out a few rooms for you. This place is big enough to house us all. It would be no trouble at all!"

"Are you quite sure?" asked Master Splinter. "Would we not bother you?"

"Of course not! I would be delighted to have you as guests in my home," Leatherhead assured them.

"If you insist."

"And I do."

"You are a most gracious host. _Domo arigato gozaimasu_."

The turtles copied their master's words of thanks and bowed along with him.

"Please, there is no need for such formality," Leatherhead told them, but he was flattered by their words nonetheless. "You may go and gather what you need from your home if you wish."

"Do you think it's safe, Master Splinter?" asked Leonardo. "And what about Donnie? I don't want to just leave him."

"I do not believe that you will run into any trouble there yet," Master Splinter replied. "Karai has suffered many losses, and she will not expect you to return so soon. You need not worry about Donatello; I will be here with him. I shall call you immediately if anything happens."

"You sure?"

"Quite."

"Alright then. You coming with me, guys?"

"You betcha!" Mikey responded.

"Yup," Raph simply replied.

"I shall see you later then, my sons. Please be careful!"

"We will!" they called as they turned to leave. "_Ittekimasu_!"

"_Itterasshai_!"

The turtles crept out of Leatherhead's hideout and stealthily slipped into the sewers. After making sure that the coast was clear, they left for their home. They made it safely to their old lair and immediately began to pack what they needed. It was hard to limit it to only that, but they knew that it was necessary. Michelangelo brought the most prized issues of his comic collection (who knew what would happen to them if he wasn't there?), a few small, portable games, and Mr. Bear. It took him a while to convince his brothers that these things were necessities, but he eventually won - thanks to his puppy dog eyes. Leonardo took his most prized possessions, a few books, and all of their necessities, such as their cash reserves and food – he couldn't let Leatherhead feed them all by himself. He also packed a few of Donatello's things in case he wanted them when he woke. Raphael brought only his punching bag; it was all he needed. After all, the two were star-crossed lovers.

When they finished packing up what they would need at Leatherhead's, they carried it home. By then, it was getting late. Master Splinter was still sitting silently by Donatello's bedside.

"Anythin' happen while we were gone?" asked Raphael.

"No, my son," Master Splinter replied. "However, I can feel that Donatello's spirit is much stronger now. He will return to us soon."

This made the brothers very hopeful and excited. What they wanted more than anything was for Don to be well again.

"May I help you with your luggage, my friends?" asked Leatherhead, who was standing in the corner – but not in a creepy way.

"Uh, sure."

"Usher, Usher, Usher," Mikey sang jokingly, earning him a whack on the head. "Ow!"

"As I was sayin'," Raph said with a devilish grin, "we dumped most of the stuff in the livin' room, since we didn't know where to put it."

"That is fine. We can take care of it later."

Raph was about to say something else when Donatello started to stir in his sleep. Everyone's eyes were instantly on him. Groaning and making deep noises in the back of his throat, Don finally woke and opened his eyes. The first one he saw was his father, who was seated by his bed. He greeted Don with a warm smile.

"My son, how are you?" he asked softly.

This time, Don's brain was a bit less clouded. He was able to think straighter, and his eyes focused more quickly than they had the last time. His body was also stronger, and after his mind processed his father's words, he managed to open his mouth to answer in a croaky whisper, "I'm alright." His words were somewhat slurred, most likely from all the medications running through his body. It was nearly impossible to hear the true, calming voice of Donatello beneath the rasping, but his family recognized it nonetheless and was glad to hear it.

Leatherhead presented a glass of water to Leonardo. Since his brother was still too weak to hold it himself, Leo held the cup to his brother's lips and allowed him to drink the liquid in small gulps. Doing so lubricated Don's throat and cleared away some of the roughness that his voice held.

"Is that better?" Leo asked.

Don made a small motion that looked like a nod. "Much," he answered. His voice was still raspy, but it was a definite improvement from what it had been before. "What...what happened?" he asked, pausing to take a deep breath in the middle of the question.

"You mean...you don't remember?" Mikey inquired, his face twisting up to create a confused expression.

Don shook his head but instantly regretted it and winced from the pain. His neck was immensely sore from where Karai had grabbed him, and the bruise was very painful. It hurt his throat to speak as well, but it was something he was willing to endure. He needed to know.

"Do you remember any of it?" Leo questioned.

"I remember Karai...breaking in," Don began, now arduously taking in deep breaths.

"Do not exert yourself, my son," Master Splinter warned. "You have more than enough time to tell us."

"Mmm," Don hummed in understanding. "I also remember...being woken up...by the Foot." Don's breathing became more rapid and shallow as he came near to the most unnerving part of the story. "Then Karai...grabbed my throat...and I-I couldn't...breathe. I don't remember...anything past that – everything...is just a blur. How...how am I still alive?"

Everyone winced at how solemn his deep brown eyes were as he asked that question. They then realized that Donatello had really believed that he was about to die. In that nerve racking moment, everyone had. It was torture to think back to that paralyzing instant that had lasted forever – absolute torture to think to when they had almost lost their dear Donatello.

"It is a complicated story, my son," replied Master Splinter, the only one who was able to find any words at all.

"I have more...than enough time...to listen," Don countered, a small, wry grin gracing his otherwise distorted features.

Master Splinter smiled as his own words were turned back on him. "Very well." He explained to Donatello what had happened after Karai had attempted to kill him. He told him about April and Casey's fortunate timing, how much they had worried, and about Leatherhead's gracious hospitality. Don listened intently through the entire story until it was finished.

"I'm sorry to have caused you...so much trouble," Don said once his father had completed the tale. His breathing had grown easier while his father had been speaking, and he didn't have to take so many pauses in order to breathe properly. His lungs had needed a chance to warm up.

"No, Donnie," said Leo. "You didn't do anything."

"I know; that's the problem. I did _nothing_."

Leo sighed. "You know that's not what I meant. There was nothing that you could have done. There was nothing that any of us could have done. There's no point in worrying over our past mistakes. We did the best we could, and we made it out alive; that's all that matters," he said to the surprise of everyone. He had obviously learned much from the Ancient One on such matters.

"Yeah, Leo's right," said Raph, actually agreeing with his older brother on something for once. "Don't go beatin' yourself up over somethin' that's not your fault."

Don nodded in understanding, but doing so this time made his throat feel all scratchy. He coughed as a reflex to rid himself of the uncomfortable feeling, but that only made things worse. The itchy feeling became more agonizing and he was forced to cough again – and again. Then he found that he couldn't stop coughing. Each time, the pain in his sore throat was even worse. He coughed until his eyes started to tear up and he was desperately out of breath.

"Come on, Donnie, just take deep breaths," said the calm voice of his eldest brother. "There you go; that's it."

Don's breathing slowly became easier and more steady, but he was still panting. He was thoroughly exhausted by the end of his coughing fit, and he sank back into his pillows even more.

"Are you tired now, Donnie?" Leo asked. "Do you want to go back to sleep?"

"No, I don't...want to sleep yet."

"But you really need to-"

"It's ok, Leo. I can stay here with you, Donnie," Mikey suggested, knowing the true reason that his brother didn't want to sleep. "We could keep each other company until we fall asleep."

Don considered this. "Ok," he answered with a smile.

Michelangelo smiled back. "Cool!"

"Then I guess we should all be retiring," Master Splinter said, standing up. "Good night, my son. I will see you in the morning." He bent over to kiss his sick son on the forehead.

"What about me?" Mikey asked, a look of mock hurt on his face.

Master Splinter chuckled. "Good night, Michelangelo," he said as he kissed his youngest son on the forehead as well. "Sleep well."

"G'night, Sensei," the two younger turtles called before their father left the room.

"Don't keep him up, Mikey," Leo warned his youngest sibling.

"Me? Never," Mikey replied with a bright smile.

Leo rolled his eyes. "I mean it."

"Yeah, yeah."

"See ya in the mornin'," Raphael said as he stood up.

Leo and Raph left to go set up the new rooms that they would be sleeping in after making sure that their two younger brothers would be alright. Leatherhead brought in a small old television and set it up in the room for Mikey and Don's entertainment. He also gave Don some more medicine to ensure that he would be comfortable. After the two young turtles thanked him, he bid them goodnight as well and left them by themselves.

"Are you really sure that you're ok, Donnie?" Mikey asked as soon as Leatherhead closed the door. His bright blue eyes, which were usually sparkling with mischief, were wide with worry. It wasn't a look that was usually seen on his face, but it pulled on the heartstrings of all who saw it.

Donatello was definitely a victim of this. Looking into Mikey's eyes, Don thought of what they had all been through. He could only imagine what it would have been like if Mikey had been strangled, but he quickly put that image out of his head; he had already seen his brother die once and that was quite enough for a lifetime. "Yeah, Mikey," he replied as honestly as he could. "I'll be alright now."

Mikey smiled at Don's words. "Good. You really scared us, bro! You went all Frodo on us after he was stabbed by that Nazgul sword."

Don smiled at the comparison. "I know; I'm really sorry."

Mikey smiled back. "It's not your fault, though. It's just...we were all so worried! I was so worried." Mikey's voice cracked at the last sentence as his eyes began to well up with tears. He furiously rubbed at them to try and make them go away.

Don looked at his brother in shock. "Oh, Mikey..."

"I'm sorry, Donnie!" Mikey said as he shook his head as though he was just being silly.

"No, Mikey, it's ok. I'm here. Don't cry," Don told his brother comfortingly. There was nothing worse than having to watch his little brother cry. He always looked so pitiful that Don couldn't just sit by - not that he would ever want to anyway. With great effort, Don mustered all his remaining strength and moved his arms to welcome his little brother. "Come here."

Mikey instantly dove into his brother's arms and hugged him tightly. Don gently hugged him back and whispered calming words. Mikey held on to his brother fiercely like a lifeline and allowed himself to be calmed by Don's soothing presence. There was just something about his immediate older brother that made him feel safe and calm, like nothing bad could happen while he was there. Mikey really needed to know that his brother would be there for him after such a scare, and Don needed to let Mikey know that he was alright. This way, they both got their much desired hugs and needed comfort.

The two stayed in that position for a while until Mikey calmed down. Once he could control himself, Mikey rubbed his final tears from his eyes and didn't allow himself to cry anymore; they'd had enough drama for quite a while. "Thanks, Donnie. I really needed that."

Glad to have helped, Don smiled comfortingly at him. "No problem. The real question now is 'are _you_ ok?'"

"I am now," Mikey said. This time he didn't even laugh at the overused quote.

"Good." Despite everything that was going on, Don couldn't help the yawn that escaped him after he said it; he was extremely tired.

Mikey noticed this along with the tired expression on his brother's face. He cracked a smile. "You know, Leo's actually right; you really should go to sleep."

"I know. I just...I didn't want to be by myself."

Michelangelo nodded in understanding; he knew that feeling well. "I know what you mean. Here, let me turn on the TV. Is there anything you wanna watch?"

"No, you can pick."

"Ok then." Mikey walked over to the TV and turned it on. He surfed through the channels until he came to a cartoon show that he liked. "Ooh, 'Dexter's Laboratory!' This show is awesome."

Don smiled. "Yeah, I remember this one."

"We used to watch it when we were little."

"Deedee, get out of my laboratory!" Don tried to do an impersonation of Dexter, but he strained his voice too much and erupted into more coughs. This fit wasn't too bad, though, and he soon got over it.

"Don't hurt yourself!" Mikey joked as he handed his older brother a glass of water.

Don gulped the water down quickly and regained his composure. "Yeah, that was pretty stupid."

Mikey laughed. "It sure was!"

"Hey, Mikey?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for staying with me."

"No problem!"

The two watched TV and enjoyed talking to each other until they were completely drained of all their energy and couldn't stay up any longer. Don closed his eyes and was the first to fall asleep. Mikey curled up next to his brother like he used to do when they were littler, and Don unconsciously wrapped his arms around him. Listening to the strong beats of his brother's heart, Michelangelo fell into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

...Bromance!

Haha, sorry, I couldn't help it! XD Sorry if I made anyone OOC, especially Mikey. I just thought that he deserved it after seeing his older brother almost die. I tried to make this one of those "recovery chapters," but I'm not too sure how I did. Thank you for reading!

_Ittekimasu_ and _itterasshai_ are kind of like _okaeri_ and _tadaima_, but you say them when you/someone is leaving instead of coming home.


	8. Chapter 8

I'm really sorry about the first part of this chapter. My little sister has been watching a certain TV show non-stop for the past few weeks, and I wanted the turtles to feel my pain. I'm sorry if I've offended anyone who likes this show! I just don't. Anyway, thanks to _xTMNTx_, _dondena_, _TimidBookworm_, _Alura Nescire_, and_ I Love Kittens too _for reviewing!

Warning: The end of this chapter contains content that might be considered disturbing to some. It's a bit violent. Just thought I'd warn you.

Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT...or the other TV show mentioned.

* * *

_"It's a berry pretty day, isn't it, Pupcake?"_

_"Ruff! Ruff!"_

_ "Haha, silly doggie!"_

Mikey groaned as he slowly woke up, or, as his brothers liked to put it, "came back to the land of the living." He had slept very well the previous night with his older brother beside him; he had felt so safe and secure. He was still pretty tired, though. His muscles still ached badly from the battle with Karai, but the sensation wasn't as bad as it had been the previous day. He didn't want to open his eyes yet, but he knew that it had to be getting pretty late. He had a bad habit of waking up late if someone didn't drag him out of bed.

_"...But, Strawberry, what should I do? There's no way I can beat Sour Grapes!"_

_ "Don't worry, Blueberry Muffin! All you have to do is believe in yourself."_

Mikey groaned even more after hearing the sounds in the background. _"What on Earth is going on?"_ he thought. _"Is the world ending?"_ When he finally awoke from his sluggish stupor and opened his eyes, he saw that Don was already awake. Mikey was about to wish his brother good morning, but he noticed that something was wrong; Don was squinting at the television with a pained look on his face. This instantly alerted Mikey. Before his brother even knew that he was awake, Mikey suddenly burst out, "What's wrong, Donnie? Are you ok? Are you hurt? Can you breathe alright? Donnie, talk to me!"

Don was startled a bit at first by the words that had been said so abruptly, but his surprised expression soon returned to a grimace. "Turn it off. _Please_ turn it off," he moaned. His voice was still raspy, but it was a bit better than it had been the previous night. However, its tone was full of distress and exhaustion.

Mikey was confused for a moment; his brain was still fogged with sleep. "Huh?" he asked. "Turn off what?"

"The TV! Just make it stop," Don pleaded.

Mikey turned his head towards the TV. He almost burst out laughing when he saw what was on. "Strawberry Shortcake?" he asked incredulously. Then the grim reality dawned on him. "Oh my gosh, have you been watching this the whole time?"

Don nodded miserably. His neck still hurt terribly, but he would rather endure that pain than have to watch what was on the TV.

"Oh man. Here, I'll turn it off." Mikey stood up, walked over to the television, and turned it off. "That's just torture. How long were you watching it?"

"I lost track of the time."

"That's not good. Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I thought about it, but you looked like you were really tired last night. I didn't want to disturb you."

"You should've. I mean, I wouldn't have cared. Man, I can't imagine the pain."

"No, you can't. Ugh, I'll never get that song out of my head! Straw-ba-ba-ba-ba-berry! Strawberry Shortcake!" Don sang in a high pitched tone. His strained voice cracked multiple times, making it sound all the more ridiculous.

Mikey laughed. "Wow, they should hire you to sing that."

"I know, right? I'm a berry – I mean _very_ – talented virtuoso."

Mikey laughed again. "Why didn't you just get up and turn it off yourself?" he asked before he thought about the situation. After looking at his sick brother in bed once more, he fixed his previous statement by saying, "You know what? Never mind."

Don laughed hoarsely and this time he didn't even start coughing afterward. Mikey, noticing this development, smiled in relief, as it told of Donatello's coming recovery.

* * *

True enough, Donatello got better and better over the next few days. Over that period of time, his breathing also became much easier. His fever was no longer as high as it had been before, but he still had one and was forced to stay in bed for the majority of the time. After a while, though, he was even able to get up by himself and walk small distances. His brothers still hovered nearby, though, just in case.

The turtles and Master Splinter had been hanging out at Leatherhead's house for about a week, since Don was still very weak, and they felt bad about causing him trouble. Though the kindhearted alligator always insisted that they were very pleasant guests and that he didn't mind in the slightest, they knew that they couldn't remain there forever and that they ought to find a new place to move into soon.

As they sat around the kitchen table, Master Splinter, Leo, Raph, and Mikey discussed what they should do next. Though he was already much better as far as his health was concerned, Donatello was still not well enough to be out of bed for too long, and he spent most of his time sleeping. Also, due to the medicine he was constantly on, he usually wasn't able to think straight and therefore couldn't contribute much to the conversation anyway.

"So, what should we do, Master Splinter?" asked Leo. "I know that Don enjoys being here with Leatherhead – we all do – but we really ought to get out of his hair pretty soon."

"L.H. doesn't have any hair," Mikey corrected jokingly. "Ow!"

Raph smirked; whacking his younger brother on the back of the head never got old.

"Do you think the sewers are safe enough to search for a new place?" asked Leo.

Master Splinter thought deeply on this matter. "It is very difficult to tell, my sons," he replied. "However, I believe that there is a small window of opportunity sometime this afternoon. If you are to survey the sewers and find us a new home, please do so then."

"Well, it's already two," said Mikey, looking over to the kitchen clock. "Could we go right now?"

"If you wish," Master Splinter consented after thinking over the question.

"Ok! You wanna, guys?"

"Sure," replied Raph.

"I couldn't think of a better time," said Leo.

"Then go ahead, my sons," Master Splinter told them. "I shall stay here and keep watch over your brother."

"_Ittekimasu_!" the turtles called out as they left the lair.

"_Itterasshai_," Master Splinter called after them. "Good luck, my sons."

Carefully stepping out of Leatherhead's well protected home, the turtles made their way far into the sewers. After they were a fair distance from their friend's home, they made a plan.

"Ok. We don't want to be out here for too long, so we'd better split up to save time. Raph, you go to the southern tunnel," Leo ordered. "Mikey, you take the east; I'll take the north."

"Alright, let's do this!" Mikey exclaimed, pumping his fists up in the air excitedly.

Raph rolled his eyes. "Whatever. When should we meet back up again?"

"Probably in about an hour. You all still have your shell-cells, right?" Leo asked.

"Yup!" Mikey confirmed cheerily; Raph only nodded.

"Ok then, guys. I'll see you later!" Leo said before he set off.

The other two followed their orders and explored the separate sections of the sewers too. They searched every nook and cranny for passageways leading to anything that resembled a suitable living space. It wasn't as easy as one might think, though. After all, the New York sewers weren't exactly well known for their hospitable homes. A while ago, Donatello had equipped their shell-cells with cameras in order to keep up with the surface dwellers' technology and also because of Michelangelo's insistence; the latter was more of an influence. As they perused the sewers, they took pictures of the potential candidates for their new home. Of course, boring sewer tunnels weren't the only things Mikey took pictures of. The scurrying rats and disgusting molds were also his victims.

After about an hour of doing this, they had exhausted just about all the possible places to search, and they met up in their designated meeting place.

"So, did you guys find anything good?" Mikey asked once they were all together again.

"I got a couple o' good ones," replied Raph. "What 'bout you, Leo?"

"Yeah, I found a few nice places," Leo answered.

"Cool!" Mikey exclaimed.

"Let's go back to Leatherhead's now," Leo suggested. "We should show Don and Master Splinter the pictures so that they can decide too."

"Soundsa good!" Mikey announced in a ridiculously overdone accent.

Raph gave him a strange look. "What was that supposed to be?" he asked.

"Um...I don't know," Mikey replied. The sad thing was that he was telling the truth.

Raph shook his head in mock disgust as they followed their older brother back to L.H.'s home. When they reached the place, they were greeted by Leatherhead and welcomed inside. Master Splinter was in the laboratory, talking to Donatello, who was still sitting in his bed. They both looked up as the rest of their family entered the room.

"Welcome back, my sons," Master Splinter greeted. "I trust that your trip was successful?"

"Yeah," replied Mikey, sitting down backwards on one of the nearby chairs. "We found some puh-retty cool places."

"I bet you found nothin', shell-for-brains," Raph mocked.

"_Au contraire_, my dear Raphie," Mikey joked back. "It is _I_ who found nothing."

"...That's what I just said."

"Oh...right. Hehe, my bad. What I _meant_ to say was, 'It is _I_ who found _something_.'"

"That still stinks."

Mikey stuck out his tongue. "Whatever. Anyway, you wanna see the pics?"

After seeing his family's eager nods, Michelangelo displayed on his phone the pictures he had expertly taken, if he did say so himself – which he did, much to his hotheaded brother's annoyance. Raphael showed them the pictures he had taken next and then Leo submitted his. Everyone surveyed the photos and thought deeply on the matter. They sorted them into different categories: the possible ones, the ones that wouldn't work, and the ones that Mikey just wanted to keep for fun. Unsurprisingly, the third group was the largest. Eventually, they managed to narrow down the keeper pile to everyone's favorite place: a large area on the north side of the sewers, far away from their old home.

"Looks like you didn't find anythin' good," said Raph. All of Mikey's pictures had been shot down; one of the places Leo had taken pictures of had been chosen over everyone else's.

"You're just jealous that I'm a better photograph-er than you," Mikey shot back playfully.

"It's pronounced _photographer_, Mikey," Don corrected in a mildly husky voice.

"I know! I said it like that on purpose," Mikey huffed, crossing his arms.`

Leo rolled his eyes at his brothers' antics. "So what should we do now, Master?" he asked.

Master Splinter's brow furrowed in thought. "I believe that the next move should be to gather our furniture from the old lair so that we may move it into this new one," Master Splinter replied after a while.

"Is it safe to return to our old lair, though?" Leo inquired.

"I do not know, my son," their sensei answered. "But if we are to gather our old belongings, we ought to do so as soon as possible. Who knows how long it will be until Karai returns?"

"Yeah, you're right," Leo said.

"Can we go now, then?" Mikey asked eagerly.

"Yeah, we oughta get this over with," Raph agreed.

"Can I help?" asked Don.

"No, Donnie," Leo replied in an exasperated tone. His brother had asked such questions far too often in the past few days. "You really should just rest in bed; that would help us a lot."

Don made a face but knew that he wouldn't get anywhere with his older brother. He hadn't had any such luck with his other attempts either, of which there had been many.

"So, can we go, Master?" Leo asked.

The old rat sighed. "I believe I must say yes, but I have a strange premonition. Would you like me to accompany you, just in case?"

"I think we can handle it by ourselves," Leo assured him.

"Very well. Please take care of yourselves and be especially careful," Master Splinter warned.

"We will. Come on, guys!"

Excited whoops and much fist pumping (from Mikey, of course) followed the issued order, and soon the turtles, who had only been home for a short while, left the house yet again.

"I can't believe we're actually doin' somethin' for once," Raph said as they made their way through the familiar path to their old home; it was almost like second nature to all of them.

"Yeah, we've been cooped up for _way_ too long," Mikey agreed. "I've been dying for some action!"

"And moving furniture around qualifies as action?" Leo asked questioningly.

Mikey thought about what he had said. "Um...maybe not. But it's better than sitting around all day!"

"But aren't you always complainin' about how you'd like to do _more_ of that?" Raph pried.

Mikey found himself backed into a corner. "Uh, can I rephrase that?"

Raph snorted. "No."

The three turtles joked and laughed with one another but couldn't help but feel that it wasn't the same without Donnie there with them. They really missed his funny quirks, the explanations which were too long for anyone to pay attention to, and his witty sense of humor. They knew that it wouldn't be much longer, though, before things went back to normal – or at least as normal as they could be.

It didn't take very long for the turtles to arrive at the old lair, and when they did, they came across something unexpected: a few bags were set up against the walls, and a strange noise was emanating from the main entrance of their lair. Looking at each other warily, the three sneaked quietly to the front door. What they saw shocked them. There, in the middle of their living room, was a group of Foot Ninja. It wasn't the Foot that shocked them, though, it was what they were doing. The men in black were scurrying about the turtles' old home, carrying canisters of gasoline and spilling the liquid all over the lair. The entire place was drenched in the strong-smelling substance. One of the ninja stood in the center. In his hand he carried a small lighter. He periodically flicked it on and off out of boredom, watching the flame dance and sway.

The turtles backed away from the entrance so that they wouldn't be seen. They all shared a concerned look with each other. Mikey finally broke the silence by whispering, "What the shell are we gonna do?"

"I'll tell ya what we're gonna do," Raph growled. "We're gonna go in there and get those stupid suckers outta our house!"

"No, Raph!" Leo ordered. "You saw that guy with the lighter. As soon as we step foot in that place, he could light us all on fire before we'd even have a chance!"

"What do ya expect me to do?" Raph asked furiously. "Let those whack-bags destroy our home an' everything in it? No way! Ya gotta be kiddin' me, Leo."

"I'm not saying that, Raph; I'm just saying that we need a plan before we go charging in there. Remember, right now_ they_ have the upper hand."

"What can we do then, Leo?" Mikey asked, his bright blue eyes wide with uncertainty.

Leo knew that he couldn't let his little brothers down, but he also knew that the plan forming in his head was far too risky. But what could he do? Like Raph, the anger he felt for the people who had broken into their old lair was growing even stronger, which he hadn't known was even possible. He sighed. "I have an idea," he finally said.

Huddled together, Raph and Mikey listened to Leo's plan. "At first glance, the guy with the lighter seems to be our main priority. Right?" Leo started.

His brothers nodded.

"But how do we know that the other ninja don't have lighters too?"

Mikey thought about this. "I guess we don't," he admitted.

"Exactly," Leo said. "That changes our one priority to many different, equal targets - but we still have to be extra cautious with that one guy since he has direct access to his lighter. You know what that means?"

Mikey instantly knew what Leo was getting at. "Stealth mode?" he groaned.

Leo nodded with a smirk. "Stealth mode," he confirmed. "We'll all sneak in through the secret entrance Don installed in the air conditioning system in the ceiling. Mikey, you'll take the ninja on the far right; I'll take the ones on the left. Raph, once we've taken care of most of the ninja, you drop down from the ceiling on top of the guy with the lighter and take care of any other ninja you can. Got it?"

Mikey and Raph nodded.

"Good. Remember, this is a stealth mission. If one of them so much as suspects we're there before we want them to, we have to get out. So, Mikey, that means hiding the bodies."

"Aye, aye, Cap'n!" Mikey said, saluting his older brother.

Leo rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless. "Alright, are we ready?"

"You betcha," Mikey replied.

"Yup," Raph growled. Those ninja would regret ever stepping foot in his home.

After getting the responses from his troops, Leo soundlessly removed the cover to the secret entrance. Silent as the shadows, the turtles leaped into the unnaturally spacious shaft. They crawled through the space without making so much as a creak. When they came to a cross-section in the tunnel, Leo motioned back to them. Using his hands, he told Mikey to go to the right shaft. He then he turned to Raph, tapped his wrist, and held up all the fingers of one hand.

Raph nodded. _"Three minutes,"_ he thought. _"Three minutes, then it's showtime."_

Leo then crawled through the tunnel on the left while Mikey followed his orders and went to the tunnel on the right. Raph watched as his brothers went their separate ways. He counted down in his head the amount of time they had been gone. He had always been good with estimating time, though, so he really didn't need to. He was so restless. That was usually Mikey's department, but he couldn't help it; he was just itching for a fight, and he couldn't wait to give those ninja exactly what they deserved. To take his mind off of waiting, he decided to plan out his next move. There was a small air vent sitting beneath him, and below it stood the ninja with the lighter. Raph smirked. _"Oh, revenge is gonna be so sweet,"_ he thought.

Watching the other ninja scurry about, he could see that the number was steadily diminishing – and no one seemed to notice. Leo and Mikey were doing their jobs well. It wouldn't be long before it was his turn to join in on the action. He turned his attention back to his main target.

_"This sounds like somethin' Mikey would say,"_ Raph thought, _"but this is just like a James Bond game."_

The internal clock in Raph's head told him that the three minutes were almost up. He removed the cover to the air vent sitting beneath him quickly and quietly. The ninja didn't suspect a thing.

_"Time's up."_

Raph instantly dropped down onto the unsuspecting Foot. He crushed the ninja underneath his weight, and the lighter in the man's hand went flying across the floor. The ninja groaned but was soon silenced by Raph's fist. Other ninja immediately rushed to his aid, but Mikey and Leo, appearing from the depths of the shadows, defeated them. More Foot started to flood into the main room from their hiding places in the turtles' rooms. The three brothers battled them all bravely and with expert skill. The ninja were no match for them. This time _they_ were the ones who had been caught by surprise, not the turtles.

Unlike their previous face-off, the three of them were able to remain together, allowing them to assist each other. As Raph fought three ninja at once, Mikey came out of nowhere and swung one of the ninja he was fighting into Raph's enemies. They all toppled over like bowling pins, and Raph nodded in thanks to his younger brother, who nodded back. Leo and Raph were very good at back-to-back combat, and they teamed up to simultaneously fight the ninja while also watching the other's blind side. Mikey and Leo combined their different styles of fighting to distract and defeat multiple ninja in just a few quick movements. They were doing very well, and things seemed to be in their favor.

Almost all of the ninja had been defeated when Leo saw that one of them had sneaked off from the large group that they were fighting. Before he could even start to make his way toward the ninja, he realized what his enemy was planning. Right in front of the ninja sat the lighter that had been discarded previously in the fight. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on.

"Guys! Get out of here!" Leo exclaimed, trying frantically to get his brothers to realize the danger they were all in.

Raph and Mikey looked away from their opponents for a short while, but it was long enough for them to see the ninja with the lighter. They immediately recognized their need to escape. There was no way that they could make it to that ninja before he set the place on fire; they didn't even know if they could make it out of the lair before he did either, but it was their best chance. All three turtles put their weapons away and dashed as quickly as they could from the lair. They didn't even look behind them to see the ninja flick the lighter on. It seemed almost like a moment in slow motion as he dropped the lighter to the ground, its sole flame dancing and flickering in the air as it fell but never going out.

Almost immediately the entire room was engulfed in flames. Leo pushed his brothers forward and jumped away from the fire just in time; a second later and they would have all been caught in the inferno as well. They quickly picked themselves up off the ground and backed away from the blazing heat that emanated from the room, lest they be cooked alive. They turned to see the familiar entrance to their home, now just a fiery hellhole.

It was a terrible sight. Even with most of the flames obstructing their vision, the turtles could make out the figures of Foot running about, trying to rid their bodies of the burning flames. Some were on the ground, choking from all the smoke; they were too tired from the lack of oxygen to notice that their bodies were slowly catching fire. The ones who were still conscious screamed with such pain that the turtles could almost feel it themselves. They screamed and screamed, and the noise did not die, nor would it ever be forgotten by the turtles who heard it. However, just like everything else in the lair, the Foot would soon turn to ashes.

So would the turtles' memories. Many of the memories that they had and nearly everything that was precious the them had existed in that home. They watched as everything burned away. Michelangelo's first drawing, Donatello's first invention, Raphael's first – and only – teddy bear, and Leonardo's first present to his father, a paper crane – they were all gone; reduced to nothing but ash that would soon be swept away.

Unable to watch anymore, Michelangelo buried his face in his eldest brother's chest. Leo wrapped his arms around him and rubbed his shell to try and calm him down, but it was hard when his own heart was being torn in two. However, he forced himself to watch as the last he would ever see of his old home slipped between his fingers.

* * *

Would you believe that I listened to "Pokerface" while writing this? Just a fact. I don't know why I was; it's not even one of my favorite songs...it was just on the playlist. Anyway, I'm not sure if this whole fire-scene could actually happen in real life, but it seemed cool in my head, so I hope that it worked out alright! This chapter definitely isn't one of my favorites, but...yeah. I don't know what to say! XD Thank you for reading? O.o


	9. Chapter 9

I sacrificed watching a Barbie movie to write this chapter, so you'd better be happy with it. XD My older sister and I like to predict what'll happen. It's actually really easy! Those movies...there are no words to describe them. XD Anyway, thanks to _TimidBookworm_,_ xTMNTx_,_ I Love Kittens too_, _Alura Nescire_, and_ dondena_ for reviewing! :)

Warning: It is implied that Raph was about to say a very nasty word, but do not worry! I bleeped him out before he could.

Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or Barbie. While I'm at it, I might as well say that I don't own Disney or its famous song "Kiss the Girl."

* * *

Everyone was very shaken up by the news of the their home being burned to a crisp. Master Splinter was greatly saddened by it, but he tried his best to not let it show; he needed to be there for his sons. Donatello was also grieved by the news; all of his work, years' worth of labor, had been destroyed in just a few fleeting moments. Raph was even angrier at the Foot now than he had been before, which was saying something. Michelangelo was sad more than anything else and buried himself in the happiness of his few comic books, some of the only things that he had managed to preserve from his old home. Leonardo's feelings were a mixture of both sadness and anger – sadness from the fact that all of their things were now gone, and anger because Karai had brought even more destruction to his already wounded family.

As for the people on the surface, all they knew was that there had been an accident in the sewers. None of them really knew what had caused it and were only thankful that it hadn't spread. To the turtles' relief – but also to their great sadness – everything had been destroyed in the fire, leaving no evidence that they had ever lived there. To the humans it was just another strange accident that was bound to happen every now and then, but to the turtles it was a deed that would not go unpunished.

However, they had more important matters to attend to. Now that all of their old things were gone, they had nothing with which to furnish their new home. Donatello was still very weak and was not able to create anything to assist them, though the bedridden turtle tried to convince them otherwise. They knew that they still had to move out, and they figured that the sooner they did, the better things would be. Having a new home would soothe their aching hearts.

Master Splinter, Leo, Raph, and Mikey had been working on cleaning out their new place for the past couple of days. They wanted to move into it, but they couldn't bring Don along if there were substances that could further worsen his frail condition. They had spent hours each day simply scouring the walls and floors and ridding the place of all scum and molds, which would have definitely affected Don's health. After the place had been scrubbed from top to bottom, the four decided that it was finally time to move in.

After recruiting the help of April, Casey, and Leatherhead, Master Splinter, the turtles, and their friends all packed up what little was left of the Hamato family's belongings to carry them off the the new lair. Casey had brought the tunneler around to assist in the endeavor. Though there were not many things to pack, the vehicle was stuffed just about full with all of the items; after all, Don hadn't designed it to be a moving truck. There was only room left for one driver, so Casey offered to take the entire load to the new location and wait for everyone else there. The turtles gratefully accepted and got ready to leave. Donatello, who was still not quite well enough to be walking such a distance by himself, was offered a piggy-back ride by Leonardo. He was forced to accept.

The turtles soon left Leatherhead's home for good. They trudged through the sewers with L.H. accompanying them; April had said that she would meet up with them later.

"How does the new lair feel, Leonardo?" asked Leatherhead. He had only seen pictures of the place Leonardo had picked out. He and Donatello had not yet seen it in person. "Do you think that it will provide a nice living space?"

"Yeah, it's a pretty good place. I think we'll all feel right at home. Aren't you excited, Donnie?" Leo asked, looking to his younger brother, who was sitting on his shell with a sour expression on his face.

Don mumbled something under his breath that probably wasn't a _yes_. Leo, the only one who had heard it, laughed out loud.

"What?" Mikey questioned eagerly. "What did he say?"

Leo shook his head as he slowly quieted his laughter. "Sometimes," he said, "it's just better not to know."

Mikey pouted but continued to walk. "So, what are we gonna do? I mean, where are we going to sleep? What are we going to eat? How are we going to survive?" he exclaimed melodramatically, making over-exaggerated motions and waving his hands about wildly.

Leo rolled his eyes. "The same way we survived the last few times we had to move," he replied.

"But we could usually bring our furniture with us those times," Mikey countered. "Now we're starting from scratch again. It stinks that she ruined all our stuff."

"I know, but we have to move on," Leo told his baby brother as he readjusted Don's position on his shell. "Come on, it won't be that bad. You've got your comics, right?"

Mikey smiled a bit at this. "Yeah, you're right," he acknowledged. "Thanks, Leo."

"No problem. Oh! Look, we're here," Leo said, stopping in front of a small entrance in the middle of one of the sewer walls. The tunneler was parked nearby. "You ready to see it, Don?"

"Just put me down," Don grumbled.

Leo smirked. "Poor choice of words," he said, pretending to drop his younger brother on his shell.

"Ah!" Don exclaimed, startled by his eldest brother's sudden actions. "Ok, ok, I get it! I don't want you to put me down yet!"

"What was that, Don? I can't hear you."

"I said, 'Don't put me down!'"

"That's better," Leo said as he readjusted Don's position once again.

Raph and Mikey snickered. Leo wasn't usually in such a playful mood, but when he was, it was always entertaining.

"Well, let's go inside," Leo said, leading the way.

Mikey and Raph followed him. The place Leo had picked out looked much better in real life than it had in the pictures. It was very large, perhaps even a bit bigger than their previous lair. They had all done a very good job of cleaning, and no uncontrolled growth of any plants or molds was present; there was, however, the strong smell of disinfectants that still lingered in the air. There was a small set of stairs that led from the entrance and down into the main room, which was rather large. The turtles could already see a good area for a kitchen and a living room. There were a couple doors that led to other medium-sized rooms as well as a few larger ones. There was also staircase that led to the second floor. The turtles thought that quite a few places up there would make good bedrooms. It seemed like a very promising new home.

Standing in the middle of the main room were April and Casey. They were moving boxes around the place and discussing where certain things should go. They were also setting up a few pieces of furniture which the turtles were sure that they had not brought.

"Hey, April!" Mikey greeted cheerily. "Hey, Casey!"

April turned to see her reptilian friends. "Hi, guys! It's so great to see you again. It feels like it's been forever."

"It does," Leo said. "How have you been?"

April chuckled a bit. "After all you guys have been though, you're asking _me_ how _I_ am?"

"You know us," Leo said with a small smile. "Seriously, though, how have things been?"

"Oh, Casey and I have been fine," April replied. "What about you? How's Donnie? He looked awful the last time I saw him."

"You know I'm over here, right?" Don asked.

April, who hadn't noticed Don's head sticking out from over Leo's shoulder, exclaimed, "Oh, Donnie! I didn't see you there. You look a lot better now! You're still pretty pale, though. How do you feel?"

"I'm fine, but _Leo_ here won't let me walk by myself. Could you please tell him to let me down?" he asked in an exasperated tone. Seeing the mischievous glint in his older brother's eye, he quickly added, "_Without_ dropping me on my shell, thank you very much!"

April smiled. Siblings were always fun; she really wished that she and her sister were still that close. "I'm glad that you're alright. You really gave all of us a scare."

Don looked down at the ground. "I know. I'm sorry."

"Don, we've been through this before. It wasn't your fault," Leo reassured him.

"I know, I just still feel so useless."

April frowned. "Come on, Don. You should rest. Casey and I have been setting up a couch for you to sit down on. You can take a nap if you want."

Don was about to say a less than pleasant remark about how he didn't need a nap when Leo asked, "Wait, what couch? Ours got destroyed in the fire."

April smiled at him. "Oh, Leo, we're giving it to you! We couldn't let you guys just sleep on the floor, especially Don. I had a few antique beds and couches sitting in my basement that were just collecting dust. I had a few other pieces of furniture and even an old TV that were doing the same, so I thought, 'What better to do with them than give them to my best friends who actually need them?'"

Leo was touched, as were all the turtles and their master. Leo finally broke the stunned silence by saying, "April, we can't accept these. You have to take these all back."

April shook her head. "No, Leo, I'm not taking any of this back. Business has been slow in the antique store lately, so it's not like I need them anyway. Besides, I _want_ you to have them."

"But-"

"I don't want to hear any _buts_! They're yours, and that's that."

"Miss O' Neil, your generosity never ceases to amaze me," Master Splinter said. "_Domo arigato gozaimashita_."

April blushed. "Oh, stop it," she said bashfully. "It's nothing. I just wish they were in better shape; unfortunately, they're kind of old - hence the fact that they're called antiques. They were the best I could do, though."

"They are absolutely perfect, Miss O' Neil," Master Splinter assured her.

"Hey, babe!" Casey called from where he was setting up the couch. "Ya gonna help me over here?"

"What did I say about calling me that?" she huffed. "One minute, guys; we'll have the couch set up in just a few moments."

True to her word, April got the couch all fixed up with Casey's help. They had put it in a perfect place, and the turtles could already imagine where they would put the TV.

"You want to lie down now, Donnie?" asked Leo.

"I want to help you guys," Don replied.

"No, Donnie, you're lying down," Leo insisted as he walked over to the couch and set his little brother down on it.

"But, Leo!" Don protested. "I don't wanna lie down."

"You're acting like a baby."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are not!"

"Am too – wait, I thought I was supposed to be saying, 'Am not!'"

"Huh, you're right. I guess we got off track. Anyway, you're staying here. Is there anything you need? You can use the couch pillows to rest on, and I'll go get you a blanket."

"No! I can help."

Leo completely ignored his comment. "I'm getting you a blanket. If I find that you got up, I _will_ tie you to this couch."

"If you can catch me," Don murmured under his breath.

Leo didn't hear the last remark, but he didn't need to; Don had escaped his brothers when he was sick many times before. Leo doubted how fast he would be this time around, though, as he hadn't even been able to walk to their new lair. Nevertheless, Leo risked turning his back to his brother in order to sort through the boxes, looking for the few blankets they had brought from their old lair. Once he had found them after a couple minutes of trial and error, he turned back to the couch. He was very surprised to see that Donatello was not only still on the sofa but also sound asleep. Leo's mouth quirked upwards into a smile as he watched his younger brother snuggle into the couch in his sleep and seek deeper into the cushions. Leo carefully draped the blankets over Don and affectionately petted him on the head. "Sleep well," he whispered before joining the others in setting up the lair.

Over the next few days, the turtles, Master Splinter, and their friends all pitched in to fix up the new lair. It was hard work, and they found that they had forgotten just how much of a pain moving really was. However, they kept on working tirelessly and made very good progress. Everyone found their own niche and contributed with his or her own particular area of expertise. After much persisting, even Don was allowed to help by giving directions on how to fix up the electricity, but he still wasn't allowed to actually do any work. Things quickly fell into place, and it wasn't too long before they had all fixed up furnished bedrooms, working bathrooms and a kitchen, a very nice looking dojo, and a rather cozy living room. Once they were finished and all their hard work had paid off, they threw a party to celebrate the new home.

"Cheers!" exclaimed Mikey, raising his glass in a toast.

"Cheers!" everyone echoed as they clinked their glasses together and then drank.

Leo exhaled peacefully. "Wow, it sure feels nice to be done with all that work."

"Ditto," Raph agreed.

"Yeah, that was some hard work," Casey said.

"Hard work? You only helped out for the first two days; then you just sat in front of the TV," April argued.

"Hey, you guys wouldn't let me help with all dat electric stuff!" Casey defended himself. "Besides, I was keepin' Don 'ere comf'table. Ain't dat right, Don?"

Don grimaced. "Yeah, and I really enjoyed it. I mean, I just_ love_ watching pro wrestling and monster trucks all day, every day."

Raph snickered. "Looks like your company wasn't too appreciated, Case."

"Aw, shut up, Raph," Casey said, lightly punching his pal on the shoulder. "Not everyone wants to watch documentaries about computers."

"I was willing to compromise," Don mumbled.

April rolled her eyes at their pointless interaction. "Well, congratulations, guys!" she exclaimed. "May you all be happy in this new home."

"Yeah, to the new lair!" Mikey agreed, holding up his glass for another toast.

"To the hard work we all put into it," Leatherhead joined in, raising his own glass as well.

"To maybe getting off the couch sometime soon!" Don added jokingly.

Leo rolled his eyes at this comment. "To family!"

"To kickin' Karai's butt in the future!" Raph said, earning him a small sideways glance from his father.

"To better TV!" Casey said.

"To friends!" exclaimed April.

"To a prosperous new life!" Master Splinter finished, his glass joining the others.

"Cheers!"

* * *

The next day, the turtles and Master Splinter were very well rested. Leo, Raph, and Mikey all practiced their ninjutsu in their new dojo under the guidance of Master Splinter. It had been too long since they'd had a lesson, and though it was exhausting, they were glad that things were falling back into routine. Donatello was not allowed to join in, but he was permitted to get off the couch, to his great satisfaction. He steadily got better each day, and it wasn't long before Master Splinter allowed him to do small exercises in the dojo. It was very difficult and exhausting for him, and he often had to rest in bed for a while afterward. However, after a few weeks of these lessons, he regained enough strength to start fully participating in their ninjutsu training, though his brothers still held back while sparring him. However, his health had improved so much that he was able to defeat them easily, so they had to step up their game. Soon he was able to match his brothers' skills in battle when they were fighting normally. Everyone was very glad to have him back on the team; they had missed him as both a teammate and a brother. Mikey regained his accomplice in crime, Raph got back his buddy to fix up his motorcycle with, Leo gained his reasonable, reliable brother with whom he could discuss important matters, and Master Splinter simply rejoiced that his beloved son was well once again.

After working hard in their ninjutsu lessons for the day, Mikey and Don relaxed by sitting on the couch. It was in the middle of the afternoon, and all of the turtles were still cooling off after their training. Mikey was, as usual, "The Master of the Remote," and at the moment he was simply flipping through the channels, trying to find something decent to watch. Don was staring blankly at the television screen, wondering why his brother was even bothering to change the channel at all; they all knew that nothing good came on at that time of day.

"So...what do you want to do?" asked Mikey. Just for fun, he was about to suggest that they play Sonic Unleashed, but then he remembered that it had been destroyed in the fire. Not wanting to rub salt into the still sore wound, he opted – for once – to just say nothing else and allow his immediate older brother to answer.

"Um," Don began, only half-thinking about the answer he would give, "I don't really care."

"Ok."

Silence. Mikey kept flipping through the TV channels.

Don sighed. "Not much on TV right now, huh?"

"Yeah, and it stinks! Why can't they put anything good on TV?"

"You could always put in a movie," Leo suggested as he entered the room. He leaned against the back of the couch and stared at the television with his brothers.

"Yeah, but then Mikey wouldn't get to use the remote," Raph stated in a mocking tone. He was standing in the middle of one of the entrances leading into the living room, but he soon joined his younger brothers on the couch.

"Exactly!" Mikey exclaimed. "Someone _finally_ understands."

"I don't think anyone understands you, Mikey," Raph countered.

"Whatever." Mikey shook the comment off. "Seriously, what are we gonna do?"

That question held many more than Mikey had intended, and most of them weren't about the trivial matter of television. For example, what would they do about Karai? How would they deal with her? If they _did_ make a plan, how would they defeat her _and_ her ninja while still making it out alive? All these questions and many more plagued the turtles' minds.

Leo sighed, jumping over the edge of the couch and sitting down with his brothers. "I don't know. I just want to end this pointless war with the Foot. On one hand, I'm thinking that we just need to be done with it, and if we have to kill Karai doing so, then so be it. On the other hand...if it comes down to it, will I really be able to?"

"I think we should just kill her and finish this!" Raph exclaimed. "Really, Leo? You still care about her? I don't give a flying-"

"Raphael!" shouted Master Splinter from across the lair.

"-...squirrel about her, and neither should you."

Both Mikey and Don had to slap their hands over their mouths in order to stop their laughter. Raph shot each of them a withering glare. Mikey imagined a forked tongue slithering out of Raph's mouth, hissing at them, which only made him snicker even more.

Leo ignored the scene playing out beside him. "You're probably right, Raph, but...I just...I just can't help but still feel sorry for her," Leo said ruefully. "I just wish that I knew what to do."

"Leo, it's ok," Mikey said, comforting his eldest brother by patting him on the shoulder. "We'll figure something out."

"I've already thought of something," Raph said roughly. "Just kill the girl."

"Oh, that should be the next Disney song! 'You don't know why, but you're dying to try; go on and...kill the girl,'" Mikey sang in a mocking tone. "Ow!"

Raph groaned and rolled his eyes. "I was bein' serious."

"I know you were, Raph," Leo said, looking his hotheaded brother in the eye. "I really appreciate your input, but it's still hard. I don't know if I would even have the skills to defeat Karai."

"You've done if before, though, haven't you?" asked Mikey.

"Yes, but nothing ever happens the same way twice," Leo replied. "Besides, I don't know if we could even get to her. I just feel...so unsure."

This came as a bit of a shock to Leonardo's brothers. Leo was usually fairly confident about such things, and for him to openly admit his personal doubts was nearly unheard of.

"Don't worry, Leo!" Don assured him. "We'll make it."

Leo gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Donnie. Problem is, we need something that will get rid of the Foot for good. I want this to end once and for all. I'm sick of going back and fighting only to have to do it all over again. This needs to stop, especially after everything that's happened recently."

"You're right," said Don, "and I think I have just the plan."

* * *

Sorry that this chapter isn't too well written. My mom dragged me all over the place to run errands, so I only just got back to post this chapter. Well, regrettably, the next chapter will be the last. We're on the final stretch! I'm kind of happy, but at the same time I don't want it to end. I know my big sis does; she has to literally drag me away from the computer to do something with her since I write so much. XD Anyway, thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

Well, here we go. It's the "thrilling" conclusion! Haha...yeah. Honestly, this is probably my least favorite chapter of all, which stinks, because I know you're supposed to finish on a high note! Darn it! XP Anyway, please enjoy the final chapter.

Yay, final disclaimer! I don't own TMNT. I also don't own Batman Begins; I used an _awesome_ quote from that movie. Leo says it, and I think it worked pretty well. :)

* * *

It was in the middle of the night when the shadows started to move. Around the central building of all Foot activity, four figures sneaked about stealthily, not making a sound. They silently made their way toward the enormous erection and crept up to its walls, blending in perfectly with the darkness.

"Alright, Don," Leo whispered to his brother, "you got everything?"

"Yup," replied Don. "We're all set."

"Good," Leo said. "Let's go."

"It's showtime," Raph growled under his breath.

The four brothers took their _shuko_ out of one of the pouches in their belts and placed them on their hands. After the tools were securely in place, the turtles latched onto the outer wall. They seemed to meld with the surface, making them invisible to all. Years of practice with using such tools allowed them to climb quickly, and they soon reached the fifth floor, their desired destination.

"Alright, this is our stop," Don announced as they clambered over to a window. He got a spray can out of his duffel bag and sprayed its contents onto the window in order to reveal any hidden traps. When nothing appeared, he nodded the ok signal to Leo.

Silent as graves, the four turtles carefully opened the window and sneaked inside. When they entered, they saw that the place was far more decorated than they had previously thought. There were pedestals holding ancient artifacts from Japan, and wonderfully crafted Japanese furniture was placed carefully along the hallway. Beautiful tapestries hung from the walls, which were kept in pristine condition. The ceiling was also fairly ornamented with chandeliers and paintings, and many wooden planks criss-crossed underneath it.

"Wow, Karai sure knows how to make a place look nice," Mikey whispered, barely resisting the urge to whistle.

"Yeah, I sure hate to destroy all this stuff," Don added.

"As long as it's Karai's, I don't care what it is," Raph said.

"Come on, guys, we need to move quickly," Leo urged. "Don, set up the bombs."

"Ok, ok, I'm going," Don said, reaching into the duffel bag he had brought with him. He pulled out some strange devices and started to mess around with them.

"Mikey, Raph, watch the entrances; make sure that no one comes in," Leo ordered. "We have to keep a low profile until the very end. If anyone finds out what we're up to now, the mission's over."

_"And there's no restart button,"_ Mikey thought.

Raph and Mikey nodded and scurried off to their assigned posts. Don was still hunched over his portable machines. After he finished fiddling with them, they made a small beeping sound. Don smiled victoriously and proceeded to attach them to the walls. He made sure to put them in places where they wouldn't be seen by others. If they were discovered, everything would be compromised, and he wasn't going to let that happen.

"As much as I hate to destroy these tapestries, I'm glad they're here; they make pretty good hiding places," Don said.

"You finished?" Leo whispered, growing impatient. They had a lot of ground to cover and no time to spare.

After putting on the finishing touches, Don nodded.

"Good. Alright, we're moving on to the next floor," Leo gave the order, leading the way to the next level.

The sixth floor looked fairly identical to the fifth, but it was being patrolled by two Foot Ninja. They walked back and forth across the floor, making sure that both sides were always being watched. The four brothers hovered by the entrance, careful to not be seen. When both of the guards had their backs turned to the entrance, the four turtles soundlessly jumped up onto the wooden planks under the ceiling and hid in the most shadowed areas. After waiting a second or two to make sure that the Foot Ninja hadn't suspected anything, Leo signaled the next moves with his hands: _Raph, take the guy on the left; I'll get the guy on the right. On the count of three._

The two turtles crawled to their designated positions and waited until the two ninja were as far away from each other as possible. Leo help up his fingers and counted down. _Three...two...one!_ The two brothers jumped down and knocked each ninja out before they knew what was happening. The Foot hadn't stood a chance.

"Dude, that was totally awesome!" Mikey exclaimed quietly after the deeds had been done, dropping down from the ceiling. "It was like something Batman would do."

"Yeah, it was pretty cool," Don agreed as he exited his hiding spot as well. "I was thinking it was like Solid Snake."

"Oh, yeah! He would do something totally wicked like that too," Mikey said animatedly.

"Guys, now's not the time to be talking about that," Leo interrupted. "We need to be serious."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, Leo!" Mikey amended, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Leo rolled his eyes at his brothers' silliness. Don set up more bombs while Raph and Leo hid the unconscious bodies of the two Foot Ninja they had knocked out. After they finished with their tasks, Leo led them to the next floor. This one was even more heavily guarded than the previous one; five ninja patrolled the hallway.

_"This is just like a video game,"_ Mikey thought. _"I just can't wait 'til we get to the boss round."_ Mikey usually left the sarcasm to Raph, but he couldn't help the last thought that popped into his head.

Leo knew that trying to defeat all the ninja without making a sound would definitely be difficult, but he had an idea. Using hand signals once again, he communicated his next orders: _Don, use the smoke bombs._

Don nodded in understanding and quietly sifted through his duffel bag. After digging out what he was searching for, Don looked to his oldest brother. After receiving a nod in approval, he tossed the circular devices into the middle of the rooms. Before the ninja even knew what was happening, the room was flooded with smoke. The four turtles rushed into the hallway and fought the other ninja that stood in their way as quickly as they could. By the time the smoke cleared, all of the ninja had been defeated and were lying on the ground, unconscious.

"Good job, everyone," Leo congratulated. "Three floors down, only...a whole lot more to go."

Mikey groaned. Don just rolled his eyes and got to work by setting up the bombs. Raph, Leo, and Mikey hid the bodies just like before. After they finished what they needed to, they moved to the next floor. This floor was patrolled by the same amount of ninja. The following battle went pretty much the same way: they threw the smoke bombs, took the ninja out, and then Don set up the bombs while his brothers hid the bodies. Things basically continued this way until they reached the very top floor, where Karai stayed. The doors leading into her private quarters were huge and ornate. The brothers stared at the intimidating structures as they prepared themselves for what lied ahead.

"Alright, guys, this is it," Leo announced to his brothers. "It's now or never. We can do this."

"We're right behind ya, Leo," Raph said.

Leo nodded and turned to the large doors which stood as the only barrier between them and Karai. The eldest turtle took in a deep breath. After gathering his strength, he forced the doors wide open and entered the room, his brothers right by his side.

Karai sat in the middle of the room. As usual, she was surrounded by her four elite ninja. She was kneeling on the ground with her head bowed down. When she heard the doors open, though, she lifted her head up to see the intruders. She immediately recognized the figures standing before her and smiled at the turtles grimly. "Hello, Leonardo," she greeted. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"You know why we're here!" Raph growled.

"I suppose that I do," Karai said. "You have come for a rematch; one that I have been looking forward to as well." She snapped her fingers and a small army of ninja instantly rushed in.

The turtles narrowed their eyes; she had been expecting them.

Karai stood. "I must admit, you took longer than I thought you would. Not that it really matters now; you _will_ lose."

"Tell that to my sai, lady," Raph snarled.

"No more games, Karai," Leo snapped. "This ends tonight."

"So it does," Karai accepted the challenge, her eyes narrowing. "However, I do not believe you will like how it ends. I failed the last time, but I will not do so again. You will die here and now."

"I don't know what happened to you, Karai, but you've lost it," Leo accused. "I will not let you harm my family again with your dishonorable ways."

"So be it. Foot Ninja, attack!"

At once the Foot sped toward the turtles, who then poised their weapons for attack. Though there were many ninja, the turtles were once again complete now that Don was well again. They were sure that they would win this time.

Each of the Foot Elite took on one of the turtles while also assisted by a group of regular Foot Ninja. The turtles easily defeated the first few groups of Foot Ninja, but the Foot Elite were more of a challenge. Leo and Raph were having a bit of a problem with the two they were battling, but Don had a plan to get rid of his and Mikey's.

"Hey, Mikey!" Don called out to his younger brother. "Kill assist!"

Mikey looked up at Don and instantly understood what he was planning without even having to ask. "You got it!" he shouted back.

Mikey threw a few _shuriken_ at the ninja fighting Don, throwing the warrior off balance for just a small bit. It was all Don needed, though. He immediately fought the elite ninja to the ground with his bō and knocked him out. He then took one of the daggers that the now unconscious ninja had carried with him and threw it directly at the elite ninja battling Mikey. This did exactly what he hoped it would do: stun the ninja long enough for Mikey to take him down, just like Don had done with his.

"Thanks, bro!" Mikey shouted once his foe was out of commission, giving Don a small thumbs up before turning to battle the other Foot.

"No problem!" Don called back as he did the same.

Leo and Raph, who had witnessed their brothers defeat their opponents, decided to use a similar tactic. Raph threw a sai at each of the ninja, and Leo quickly did a stunning split kick to knock them to the ground. Then the two turtles each took out the two stunned elite ninja. Now all four of the Foot Elite were out of commission, and the turtles were making short work of the rest of the Foot Ninja.

Karai growled. _"This isn't how it was supposed to go!"_ she thought angrily. _"I should have all of their heads mounted on my wall! They should be on the ground writhing in pain, not my warriors."_

It wasn't long before her last ninja was knocked to the ground, joining his comrades. Only Karai was left. The turtles all turned to face her, weapons at the ready.

"You foolish creatures," she spat. "Do you really believe that you can defeat me? No one can defeat the Shredder! _No one_!"

Mikey looked thoughtful for a moment and then interjected, "But...haven't we already done that before?"

Apparently, that wasn't the right thing to say. "Do not speak of my master in such a disrespectful fashion!" Karai barked. "Since my ninja could not succeed, I shall defeat you by my own hand. You will not leave here alive!"

"I hate to prove you wrong," Leo countered.

"I'd _love_ to prove ya wrong!" Raph growled.

"Don, you finish up; we'll take care of Karai," Leo informed his brainy little brother.

"I'd like to see you try," Karai said darkly before lunging at Leonardo.

Leo, Raph, and Mikey all teamed up to fight Karai as Don scurried about and placed his final bombs. Even though Karai was outnumbered, the turtles knew that they had to be extra careful; Karai was a very skilled warrior, slightly insane or not, and they were tired from previously fighting all of the Foot Ninja. Karai's focus was placed mainly on Leonardo, as usual, but this allowed her to be more vulnerable to the attacks of his two other brothers. It wasn't long before Karai, fighting off three enemies at once, tired of the fight. It was almost impossible to detect to the untrained eye, but the turtles had been taught to battle such enemies as Karai and knew what to look for; and they saw that she wouldn't last much longer.

Leo soon aimed a kick at Karai's solar plexus, knocking the breath out of her. With Karai temporarily stunned, Leo quickly dealt one final blow to her chest. This sent her spinning to the ground, and her sword flew out of her hand and across the room; but she was still conscious. She struggled to push herself up off the ground, but Leo placed his foot on top of her to make sure that she didn't.

"Alright, guys, I think that's the last of the bombs," Don declared from the other side of the room.

"Good," Leo panted.

"Let's finish this," Raph said as he put his sai back in their proper places on his belt.

Leo nodded. "This has gone on for far too long," he agreed. "Karai, kneel."

After Leo removed his foot, Karai pushed herself up to face her enemy. She looked him in the eye and said, "So this is how it ends. I must admit that I had been hoping for a different outcome, but I suppose that you have won. Congratulations." The words sounded like more like poison than anything else.

"Yo, Leo!" Raph called to his older brother. "We gotta go now. Don's gonna pull the trigger."

Leo looked up turned to face his brother, who was standing by the open window. Mikey and Don had apparently already left and were now waiting for the two of them outside. "Ok, I'll be there in a minute," Leo replied. "Just...let me finish this."  
Understanding, Raph nodded and escaped out the window like his two younger brothers had before him. Leo looked back to Karai.

"So it ends here?" Karai asked.

Leo narrowed his eyes. "We both knew that it would end with one of our deaths."

"I guess that I was the one fated to die, though," Karai whispered bitterly.

"I trusted you, you know? I thought that you would understand, but you don't. I'm sorry that I couldn't save you, Karai."

"You need not apologize to me, Leonardo. I made my own choice."

"Yes, I suppose you did." With that, Leo raised his swords to Karai's neck.

"Make it quick."

Leo nodded. Karai shut her eyes tightly as she waited for the impact, but the swords never sliced her. After waiting for a couple seconds, she cautiously opened her eyes to see Leonardo hovering above her. He was sheathing his swords.

"W-What? Why?" Karai asked, bewildered.

"I won't kill you," Leo told her, "but I don't have to save you."

Karai watched as her enemy ran to the window and deftly leaped out. She stared out into the black of night that the turtles had escaped to. She sat that way for a while until she was finally brought back to reality when she heard a dreadful beeping noise that foretold of her doom. She looked to where Donatello had placed the devices on the wall and read the timer on one of them.

_00:05..._

Her life seemed to flash before her eyes: her time with her father as a child, practicing ninjutsu together, sitting at the dinner table while eating traditional Japanese food (her favorite), talking about battle tactics, and his proud smile when she did something right.

_00.04..._

Leonardo also made it into her flashbacks, though she could not understand why. After all, he had been her most terrible adversary...and yet he had also been a trusted ally. She could recount all the times that she had saved his life and that he had saved hers. She wondered what could have happened if she had chosen differently. Would it have ended this way?

_00:03..._

Would her father have been proud of her if he was still here? Would he have rejoiced in her decisions thus far? In her quest to bring him honor, _had_ she honored him?

_00:02..._

Something told her that the answer to all these questions was "_no_." So was she to die dishonorably and bring shame to the image of her master?

_00:01..._

"I'm sorry, Father."

* * *

Standing on a building far away, the turtles watched as Foot Central erupted into flames. Splinters of wood and metal went flying everywhere as the tall building collapsed on itself. Floor by floor, it fell and broke the layers below it until it finally hit the bottom, and a deafening boom was released. Everything was on fire, and the turtles could already hear sirens wailing in the distance.

"It's over," Leo whispered. "I can't believe it's finally over."

"Yeah. I almost thought it would never end! But we did it," Don said. "We finally did it."

After a few moments of contemplative silence, Raph turned to Leo. "Did you actually kill her?" he asked, though he already knew the answer

Leo looked down at the ground. "No, but no one could have survived that kind of explosion."

"Dude, you're totally right...I hope," Mikey said uncertainly. "I mean, if she's anything like the last Shredder, though, she could have survived anything."

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"Jeez, Mikey, that _really_ made us feel a whole lot better," Raph said, breaking the silence.

"I'm just saying!" Mikey exclaimed, holding his hands up in the air defensively.

The turtles all chuckled this. After living their lives in fear from the Foot for so long, they felt a huge weight lift off their chests. Karai had burned down their home, so it was only fair that they had returned the favor. The turtles dearly hoped that, with the Foot's central building having been destroyed, their lives could become peaceful once more.

They only hoped.

* * *

Well, there you have it! I hope that the ending lived up to your expectations...but it probably didn't. XP I had to run really quickly, so I didn't get to edit it one last time. :( Oh well! What's done is done. Now, before this story is over, I would like to say a _HUGE_ word of thanks to everyone to reviewed, added this story to favorites/alerts, or even just read it! Your support has really meant the world to me. When I wrote this story, I thought that I would get maybe 1 or 2 reviewers, but more than twice that many people reviewed _each chapter_! I really feel just...amazing. It's impossible to describe just how awesome all of you guys have made me feel. :) So, thank you! Thank you SO much! I had so much fun writing this story, and I hope that you enjoyed it just as much. I hope that I will see you all again on another adventure sometime again. If you decide to review one last time (which you don't have to; you guys have given me enough of a gift), I would appreciate it if you would tell me what you liked/disliked the most about the story so that I can keep on improving my writing skills and, maybe, write another story like this one.

Once again, thank you so much! You guys are some of the kindest people I've ever met, and I will always treasure this amazing experience. :)

~Kooks


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